Summary: A long-term study following nearly 50,000
women over 30 years found that drinking caffeinated coffee in midlife is
linked to healthier aging. Women who drank regular coffee were more
likely to avoid chronic disease, cognitive decline, and physical
impairment later in life.
The benefits did not extend to tea or
decaffeinated coffee, while soda consumption was associated with worse
aging outcomes. Researchers emphasize that moderate coffee consumption
may be a helpful part of an overall healthy lifestyle but note that
genetics and other factors play a role.
Key Facts:
- Caffeine Source Matters: Only caffeinated coffee—not tea, decaf, or soda—was linked to better aging outcomes.(But this research suggests the benefits of coffee are NOT FROM CAFFEINE!
Benefits Aren’t Just From Caffeine December 2018)
- Modest Impact: Each additional daily cup of coffee in midlife correlated with a 2–5% higher chance of healthy aging.
- Soda Warning: More soda intake was tied to a 20–26% lower chance of healthy aging.
Source: American Society for Nutrition
Findings
from a new study of almost 50,000 women followed for 30 years suggest
that a morning cup of coffee might do more than boost energy; it could
also help women stay sharp, strong and mentally well as they age.
The
analysis found that women who drank caffeinated coffee in midlife were
more likely to exhibit healthy aging. However, the researchers didn’t
find any links with tea or decaf coffee, while drinking more cola was
tied to a significantly lower chance of healthy aging.
aging was defined as living to age 70 or older, being free from 11
major chronic diseases, maintaining physical function, having good
mental health, exhibiting no cognitive impairment and showing no memory
complaints. Credit: Neuroscience News
“While
past studies have linked coffee to individual health outcomes, our
study is the first to assess coffee’s impact across multiple domains of
aging over three decades,” said Dr. Sara Mahdavi, BSc, HBSc, RD, MSc,
PhD, a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public
Health, Harvard University, and an adjunct professor at University of
Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nutritional Sciences.
“The findings suggest that caffeinated coffee—not tea or decaf—may
uniquely support aging trajectories that preserve both mental and
physical function.”
Dr. Mahdavi will present the findings
at NUTRITION 2025, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society
for Nutrition held May 31–June 3 in Orlando.
“Our study has several key strengths,” said Dr. Mahdavi.
“In
addition to the large sample size and 30 years of follow-up, we
assessed several different aspects of longevity and healthy aging as
well as very comprehensive information on nutritional and lifestyle
habits that were collected every four years after the initiation of the
study.”
The study included 47,513 women from the Nurses’ Health
Study with dietary and health data collected since 1984. The researchers
assessed caffeine intake using validated food frequency questionnaires
that included consumption of top contributors of caffeine such as
coffee, tea, cola and decaffeinated coffee.
Healthy aging was
defined as living to age 70 or older, being free from 11 major chronic
diseases, maintaining physical function, having good mental health,
exhibiting no cognitive impairment and showing no memory complaints.
After
30 years of follow-up, the investigators estimated how the likelihood
of healthy aging changed for every 80 mg of caffeine that study
participants consumed per day. They also examined specific drinks like
coffee, tea, decaffeinated coffee (per 8-ounce cup) and cola (per
12-ounce glass).
These preliminary analyses accounted for other
factors that might influence healthy aging such as body weight, smoking,
alcohol use, physical activity, education level and protein in the
diet.
By 2016, 3,706 of the
women in the study met all the requirements for being considered healthy
agers. In mid-life, ages 45-60, these women typically consumed an
average of 315 mg of caffeine per day — roughly the amount in three
small cups of coffee or one and a half large cups by today’s standards.
More than 80% of that caffeine came from regular coffee consumption.
For
women in the healthy agers group, each extra cup of coffee per day was
tied to a 2% to 5% higher chance of doing well later in life, up to five
small cups per day, or about 2.5 cups according to today’s measures.
The
researchers did not find any significant association between drinking
decaffeinated coffee or tea with an increased likelihood of healthy
aging.
Importantly, each additional small glass of soda—another
major source of caffeine—was associated with a 20% to 26% lower
likelihood of healthy aging, reinforcing that not all sources of
caffeine confer benefits.
“These results, while preliminary, suggest that small, consistent habits can shape long-term health,” said Dr. Mahdavi.
“Moderate
coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with
other healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, a healthy diet and
avoiding smoking.
“While this study adds to prior evidence
suggesting coffee intake may be linked with healthy aging, the benefits
from coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of overall
healthy lifestyle habits and warrant further investigation.”
The
researchers note that, in general, up to two cups of coffee per day
should be safe and potentially beneficial for most people. Beyond that,
drinking more may offer additional benefits for some but may not be
healthy for others.
In another study, Dr. Mahdavi and colleagues
have shown that genetic variation can influence the relationship between
caffeine intake and health outcomes, so more caffeine isn’t always
better, particularly for people with lower caffeine tolerance or
specific genetic susceptibility (Mahdavi et al, 2023).
Additionally,
coffee contains a range of compounds that could act synergistically to
influence aging pathways. To better understand these effects,
researchers plan to investigate how specific bioactive compounds in
coffee interact with genetic and metabolic aging markers, especially in
women.
Understanding these
mechanisms could guide personalized medicine approaches to develop diets
that support longevity and cognitive health for individuals.
About this caffeine and aging research news
Author: Nancy Lamontagne
Source: American Society for Nutrition
Contact: Nancy Lamontagne – American Society for Nutrition
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will be presented at NUTRITION 2025
