Who doesn’t love a good cup of coffee? Well, a cup of coffee can not only ward off drowsiness it is also beneficial for heart health. A study published in the European Heart Journal revealed that a shot of morning coffee, rather than the all-day-anytime-cup pattern, was significantly associated with lower risks of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality.
The US study highlighted that the benefit of coffee is more beneficial if you drink it in the morning.
“These findings suggest that morning coffee consumption may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health at the population level,” the study stated.
The study found that morning coffee drinkers were 16 per cent less likely to die from any cause and 31 per cent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease compared to non-coffee drinkers.
However, overconsumption of coffee can lead to increased risks of blood pressure, heart arrhythmias or irregular and poor sleep quality. All of this is linked to higher mortality rates. It is noteworthy that moderate consumption of coffee can is associated with increased metabolic rate, fat oxidation and protection from chronic diseases.
The research was led by HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and Professor Dr. Lu Qi of the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University.
Morning coffee drinkers benefitted from the lower risks whether they were moderate drinkers (two to three cups) or heavy drinkers (more than three cups). Light morning drinkers (one cup or less) benefitted from a smaller decrease in risk, the researchers found.
“This is the first study testing coffee drinking timing patterns and health outcomes,” Qi said. “Our findings indicate that it’s not just whether you drink coffee or how much you drink, but the time of day when you drink coffee that’s important. We don’t typically give advice about timing in our dietary guidance, but perhaps we should be thinking about this in the future.”
“This study doesn’t tell us why drinking coffee in the morning reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. A possible explanation is that consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt circadian rhythms and levels of hormones such as melatonin. This, in turn, leads to changes in cardiovascular risk factors such as inflammation and blood pressure.”
The researchers emphasised that there is now substantial evidence that coffee drinking, particularly in the morning hours, is likely to be healthy. “Thus, drink your coffee, but do so in the morning,” the researchers stated.