Limiting Coffee to the Morning Linked to Better Heart Health

A recent scientific analysis suggests that drinking coffee only in the morning may offer protective benefits for heart health and overall longevity — benefits not observed in those who consume coffee throughout the day or not at all.

The findings, based on U.S. national health survey data, involved nearly 41,000 adults with an average age of 47. Participants shared detailed information about their daily dietary habits, including coffee consumption — whether they drank it, how much, and at what time of day.

In addition to the broader group, a smaller sample of about 1,500 individuals kept a complete food and beverage diary for an entire week. Researchers tracked their health outcomes over an average follow-up period of almost a decade, linking dietary habits to mortality data.

The participants were divided into three groups:

• Those who drank coffee only in the morning (36%)

• Those who drank coffee at various times throughout the day (16%)

• Those who did not drink coffee at all (48%)

The results showed that morning-only coffee drinkers had a significantly lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease — about 31% less — compared to non-drinkers. They also had a 16% lower risk of death from any cause during the study period.

In contrast, individuals who consumed coffee throughout the day showed no significant difference in mortality rates compared to those who did not drink coffee.

These observations suggest that not just drinking coffee, but when you drink it could play a role in long-term health outcomes, particularly concerning the heart. While more research is needed to explore the mechanisms behind this association, limiting coffee consumption to the earlier part of the day may be a simple lifestyle adjustment with meaningful health advantages.