In a recent study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers in the United States investigated the associations between coffee drinking (particularly, the timing of coffee consumption) and mortality (all-cause or cause-specific). Their analyses of more than 42,000 adult US citizens from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Women’s and Men’s Lifestyle Validation Study (WLVS and MLVS) revealed two distinct clusters – those that consumed coffee during the morning hours (morning type) and those that drank coffee throughout the day (all-day-type).
Study findings revealed that the morning-type cluster presented substantially lower cardiovascular disease (CVD)-specific and all-cause mortality than non-coffee drinkers or the all-day-type cluster participants, suggesting that moderate coffee consumption during the morning hours may help reduce mortality risk and extend lifespans in US populations. However, the study emphasizes that this is an observational finding and cannot confirm causation.
Background
Coffee brewed from roasted coffee plant beans is among the most popular drinks globally. Several prospective studies have investigated the health impacts of coffee consumption, with results suggesting that in moderation, coffee can reduce the risks of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and all-cause mortality. These benefits prompted the United States (US) Dietary Guidelines (2015-2020) to include moderate coffee consumption in their recommendations for healthy diet items.
