Drinking coffee only in the morning may help people live longer compared to drinking the beverage throughout the day, a new study suggests.
The 20-year study of 40,000 adults done by researchers from Tulane University found that the early-in-the-day coffee-drinkers (between 4:00 a.m. and noon) were 16% less likely to die of any cause and 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than non-drinkers.
However, the health benefits appeared to vanish among those who drank coffee all day, possibly as a result of afternoon caffeine consumption disrupting sleep patterns.
No matter how many cups of coffee the morning drinkers had, or whether they preferred decaffeinated coffee, the risk of death was still lower, according to the study.
“This study is unique in that it looked at coffee-drinking patterns throughout the day instead of focusing on [the] amount of coffee that is consumed,” said Dr. Jennifer Miao, a board-certified cardiologist at Yale New Haven Health.
To explain their findings, the researchers suggested morning coffee may better align with the body’s natural sleep and wake cycles. It may also reduce inflammation, which tends to be higher in the morning, and, in turn, lower heart disease risk.
Source: ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/morning-coffee-habit-tied-longer-life-healthier-heart-study-finds/story?id=117466658