A cup of coffee is the quintessential staple of a morning routine—at least in the U.S. The number of American adults who said they had coffee in the past day has reached its highest level in more than 20 years, according to the National Coffee Association (NCA)—and the majority of coffee-drinking adults (81%) have their cup of joe with breakfast. Still, others wait until they’ve settled into their day to drink java—19% of U.S. adults enjoy coffee in the afternoon, and 10% in the evening, according to the NCA.
But is there a best time to drink coffee for maximum benefits?
New research makes a strong case for morning joe, indicating that the timing may impact your longevity. In a study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers looked at two patterns of coffee timing: people who drank their coffee in the morning, and people who were all-day drinkers. After adjusting for other potential factors, researchers found that morning coffee drinkers were 16% less likely to die of any cause during the study period, and 31% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease, compared to people who didn’t drink coffee. However, there was no reduction in risk for all-day coffee drinkers compared to non-coffee drinkers.
The authors speculate that drinking caffeinated coffee later in the day could disrupt circadian rhythm and melatonin levels, leading to inflammation and sleep disturbances. A second potential explanation is that inflammation is at its highest in the morning, and the natural anti-inflammatory properties of coffee may have a greater impact when consumed earlier in the day.
