Drinking a few cups of coffee each day may boost your heart and overall health, but could the timing make a difference?
Research from the European Heart Journal suggests it might. This study, a first of its kind, examined how when you drink your coffee affects heart health. It found that those who enjoy their coffee in the morning have a lower risk of dying from heart-related issues compared to people who drink coffee all day or not at all. Morning coffee drinkers also showed a lower mortality rate overall.
The study’s senior author, Dr. Lu Qi, points out that it’s not just about if or how much coffee you drink, but also when. He suggests considering timing in dietary advice.
Past research highlights coffee’s benefits like reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and not increasing cardiovascular disease risks. However, the timing factor had not been explored until now.
For their study, researchers analyzed data from over 40,000 adults in a U.S. health survey, focusing on what they consumed in a day including coffee. They compared this data with death records over approximately 10 years. Around 36% drank coffee mainly in the morning, 16% spread it throughout the day, and 48% didn’t drink coffee.
The findings revealed that morning coffee drinkers were 16% less likely to die from any cause and 31% less likely from cardiovascular disease than non-drinkers. Drinking coffee all day didn’t lower these risks compared to not drinking at all.
The amount of coffee drank didn’t significantly alter the benefits for morning drinkers, though light drinkers (consuming a cup or less) saw slightly weaker results.
Despite controlling factors like diabetes and smoking, the study is observational and doesn’t prove cause and effect. More research across populations is needed.
Why is morning coffee better for heart health? One theory involves how coffee interacts with our circadian rhythm. This internal clock helps manage our sleep-wake cycle. Drinking coffee later might interfere with melatonin, a sleep-related hormone, disrupting sleep patterns.
Thomas Lüscher, a consultant cardiologist, noted in an editorial that all-day coffee drinkers might experience sleep issues. Sleep is vital for health, especially in controlling blood pressure, which naturally lowers during sleep.
The authors also mentioned that coffee’s anti-inflammatory properties might be stronger in the morning, as inflammation markers peak then.
Drinking coffee is generally good for health, and morning seems to be the best time to enjoy its benefits. If you need coffee later in the day, try to drink it at least nine hours before bedtime, as consuming it closer might affect your sleep.
