Will the time of drinking coffee affect your life span? The question inspired a group of researchers to explore the connection between coffee habits and the possibility of living longer among people. While coffee has long been known for helping people stay alert and provide some health benefits, past research has focused on how much coffee people drink. The new study examines when people drink coffee and how this may affect their overall health and longevity.
Dr. Lu Qi and his team from Tulane University and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health conducted the large-scale study. Their results are shared in the European Journal of Heart, the honorable medical journal, which features findings in heart health and related fields.
Dr. Qi’s team discovered two main ways to drink coffee in the population. A group of people called the “morning type” mainly drinks coffee earlier in the day. The other group is the “all-day type” and drinks coffee all day. The results show that those who mostly drink coffee in the morning mostly drink coffee in the morning, especially those who are heart-related diseases, have significantly lower chances of dying. Those who drink coffee all day don’t seem to get the same benefits.
In the nearly decade of tracking participants, thousands of deaths have been recorded, many of which are due to heart problems. After taking into account other factors such as how much coffee is consumed, whether it is routine or decaf (which means it has little caffeine), how many people sleep, daily habits, and pre-existing health, the results show that those who drink mainly coffee in the morning have long died. The benefits are even more powerful when it comes to death from heart disease.
“Drinking coffee in the morning may be at a higher risk of dying than drinking coffee later in the day,” said Dr. Qi. They also found that drinking more coffee seems to only help morning drinkers. Those who drink coffee all day will not see the same health benefits, no matter how much they drink.
One of the reasons may be related to how caffeine affects our body clock, also known as circadian rhythms, an internal process that regulates the sleep effect cycle. Drinking coffee later in the day may interfere with the body’s natural sleep signals, such as melatonin (a hormone that helps signal when resting – and disrupts other daily functions. Similarly, the health benefits of coffee, such as reducing inflammation in the body (inflammation is the body’s response to harm or stress), in the morning, inflammation in coffee is usually the best, while some of the stress-related markers in the blood are usually higher. These ideas can help explain why the coffee pattern in the morning seems to be more helpful.
To summarize the research, the team pointed out the importance of our food and drink timing. A clear link between drinking coffee in the morning and living longer (especially with fewer deaths related to the heart) may provide a simple change for public health advice. “Higher coffee intakes are significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in participants with morning type, but not among participants with full-day model,” Dr. Qi noted.
This study increases our understanding of how daily habits affect health. While more research is needed to fully understand why time is important, the point is simple: drinking coffee earlier in the day may not only help you wake up, but also support better long-term health.
Journal Reference
Wang X., Ma H., Sun Q., Li J., Heianza Y., Van Dam RM, Hu FB, Rimm E., Manson JE, Qi L. European Journal of Heart, 2025; 46(8): 749-759. doi:
About the Author
Dr. Lu Qi is a well-known public health scientist and nutrition expert recognized for his pioneering research on the intersection of diet, lifestyle and chronic diseases. He has served as a professor at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and has been in touch with Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Qi’s work has been understanding how personalized nutrition, genetic factors and behavioral patterns affect long-term health outcomes. With his background in epidemiology and nutritional science, he has led many large-scale population studies, exploring how daily habits, such as coffee consumption or dietary timing, affect the risks of heart disease, diabetes, and mortality. He has written hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and is often cited for his contribution to precise nutrition. Dr. Qi is also committed to public education, aiming to translate complex research into healthier life guidance. His research continues to shape global public health policies and dietary advice.
