Coffee is fast becoming one of the most studied health drinks on the market, with research linking its consumption to everything from improved gut health to better brain function. And that’s not forgetting its ability to extend our lifespans – a fact that’s been proven by study after study over the last couple of years.

But coffee’s ability to lower our risk of death may come with some small print, according to new research. The study, published in the European Heart Journal and based on the dietary habits of over 40,000 adults, found that those who drink their coffee pre-lunch – whether they’re moderate or heavy coffee consumers – were 16% less likely to die of any cause and 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease during a 10-year follow-up period than those who didn’t drink coffee at all.

But those who continued to drink coffee throughout the day didn’t see any of these benefits. In fact, the study concluded that there was no significant reduction in mortality for all-day drinkers compared to people who avoided coffee altogether.  

While the study does not suggest why this might be, one possible explanation is that drinking coffee late in the day can mess with our internal body clock or circadian rhythm, the disruption of which has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and heart problems. It’s why drinking coffee in the late afternoon can disrupt your sleep; the caffeine in the coffee causes your cortisol levels to spike, preventing the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin.

Of course, this is far from the only study that has shown coffee can lower our risk of death. A study published last year in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found that regular, moderate coffee and caffeine consumption was associated with a lower risk of cardiometabolic multi-morbidity (having two concurrent diseases – an increasing risk in ageing populations).

The study’s lead author, Dr Chaofu Ke, concluded: “Consuming three cups of coffee, or 200-300mg caffeine per day might help to reduce the risk of developing cardiometabolic multi-morbidity in individuals wihtout any cardiometabolic diseases”.

Assessing over 500,000 people from the UK Biobank aged 37-73, researchers compared those who consumed less than 100mg caffeine per day with those who drank up t0 300mg or three cups of coffee. They found that the coffee drinkers had a 48.1% reduced risk and caffeine consumers a 40.7% reduced risk.

A couple of years ago, reseachers also found that two-to-three cups of coffee (ground, instant or decaf) reduces our risk of cardiovascular disease.

Compared with not drinking coffee, it found that, over a 12.5 year period:

• decaf was associated with a 14% reduced risk of death
• ground coffee with a 27% reduced risk of death
• instant coffee with a 11% reduced risk of death

And shortly before that paper, scientists examined the coffee consumption of 171,000 Brits and found that those who drank any amount of unsweetened coffee were up to 29% less likely to die early than people who don’t drink coffee at all.

Those who drink their coffee with sugar, were up to 31% less likely to die, so long as they stayed below four cups a day. It’s worth pointing out that there could be lots of factors as to why coffee drinkers tend to live longer, including socio-economic status and activity levels, and this study doesn’t compare freshly brewed coffee to the instant stuff.

And in 2022, a decade-long study of nearly 500,000 people found that those who drink up to three cups of coffee are 20% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease or suffer a stroke than those who don’t drink coffee at all. And those moderate drinkers are 12% less likely to die from any cause. 

Published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, the study followed volunteers for 11 years. 22% were non-coffee drinkers, 58% drank up to three cups a day and 20% drank over three. Those who drank around three cups a day were less likely to be diabetic than zero-coffee drinkers and the people who drank over three were no more likely to suffer from high blood pressure than those who consumed less (which is something previous studies have contradicted).

So, what’s so good about coffee? The bean contains a number of useful nutrients including vitamins B2 and B3, magnesium, potassium, as well as a load of antioxidants that help protect the body against free radical damage. Antioxidants also protect us from inflammation – which is known to be linked to conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cancers. 

Of course, coffee doesn’t agree with everyone. We all react differently to caffeine and while some people will struggle to pick up a third cup after drinking two coffees, others might barely notice they’ve had any caffeine. 

Coffee can exacerbate certain conditions like acid reflux and anxiety, so it’s definitely not a good idea to push yourself to drink more coffee than you’re comfortable with. This research, however, is comforting for those of us who do drink umpteen Americanos a day and who are tired of being told to ditch the habit.

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