Morning coffee drinking compared to all-day coffee drinking is linked to better health and living longer says a new Study. Timing of the day seems to matter.
How popular is Coffee drinking?
Coffee is the most consumed and beloved beverage in the world. It gives us that special morning “boost,” we depend on to get our day off to a great start. In fact, the majority of American adults consume coffee on a regular basis with the largest recent gains seen in specialty coffee consumption including expresso, cappuccino, frozen blended, cold brew and nitro shots (cold brew infused with nitrogen gas to give it a creamy and frothy texture).
Coffee consumption has outpaced other beverages like bottled water, tea, juice, and sodas. Despite the popularity of coffee bistros like Starbucks, the majority of coffee is brewed at home with the average American drinking 3 cups of coffee each day. Study says there are two distant coffee drinking patterns- morning type and the all-day type-with the majority of American coffee drinkers falling into the morning type.
The morning type typically enjoys their cup of Joe between 4 am to noon (they can still have small sips of coffee throughout the day) whereas the all-day type of coffee drinker consumes equal amounts of cups of coffee throughout the day and night for example has one shot of expresso at 8 am, another shot at 2 pm in the afternoon and a final shot after dinner at 8 pm.
Why does Coffee drinking in the Morning save Lives?
Coffee drinking has been linked to many health benefits including lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and even death and based on a new Study it appears that the time of the day we drink our coffee matters.
People who drink coffee in the morning or the “morning type pattern,” between 4 am and noon says the European Heart Journal have significantly fewer deaths from strokes and heart attacks and in fact deaths of any kind than those who drank coffee throughout the day or “all-day coffee drinking pattern.”
It did not matter whether they drank decaffeinated or caffeinated coffee, or even how many cups (moderate compared to heavy), or added sugar or high fat creamer the risk of death was lower in the morning group than those who drank coffee all day or did not drink coffee at all. Heavy coffee consumption was associated with an even lower risk of cardiovascular (CV) death or death from heart attacks and strokes only in those coffee drinkers who identified themselves as early morning type consumers.
It seems that those who were all-day coffee drinkers or no coffee drinkers did not yield the same health benefits as those who drank coffee earlier in the day.
Why is drinking Coffee in the morning better for you?
There is increasing scientific evidence that the time of day that we eat or drink certain types of food matters including coffee to stay aligned with our natural circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms are controlled by the central clock in our brain that coordinates the dark-light or night-day cycle and also influences our metabolism and how we process food and nutrients. For example, we may go against our circadian rhythm in unhealthy ways like having a double expresso before bedtime or a heavy midnight snack.
Why drinking coffee all day or later in the day does not have the same health benefits as morning coffee drinking is unclear but may be due to changes in melatonin levels that controls our sleep wake cycle or circadian rhythm. For example, a double expresso 3 hours before bedtime delays melatonin release disrupting our healthy sleep cycles. Lack of good sleep increases oxidative stress in the body, and inflammation leading to higher blood pressures, increasing the risk of heart attack and strokes.
Morning coffee consumption on the other hand decreases melatonin or the hormone of sleep at the right time keeping us awake and energized (especially with caffeinated coffee) and our sleep-wake cycle intact. Coffee also has natural anti-inflammatory compounds that helps combat the rise in inflammation we experience during the early morning hours.
Any final advice on what time of the day to drink Coffee?
The new Study says we have two distinct patterns of coffee drinking times: morning type from 4 am to noon and all-day type with consumption of equal amounts of coffee all day long. Compared with the non-coffee drinkers and all-day coffee drinkers, the morning type coffee drinking was significantly associated with a lower risk of all deaths especially heart disease and strokes and better health.
It did not matter the amount of coffee consumed-moderate or heavy use-those who drank coffee in the morning lived longer. It seems by aligning the timing of coffee to our circadian rhythm or day-night cycle improves or boosts our metabolism, reduces inflammation, and leads to better heart outcomes.
My advice is to get a good night’s sleep, wake up in the morning to your favorite cup of Joe be it Frappuccino, expresso, or a house blend and avoid all-day coffee binging as based on this study the timing of the day for coffee drinking matters.
If you have any questions, AskDoctorH, we are here to help. Also, check out my article on other health benefits of Coffee.
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