This article examines the relationship between coffee consumption and human health.

Coffee is part of our daily lives, with an estimated 1 billion consumers worldwide. A cup of coffee in the morning is essential for most of us to start our day.

CAFFEINE AND POSITIVE HEALTH EFFECTS

Indeed, caffeine, the main ingredient in coffee among hundreds of others, has many, rapid and positive effects on the brain, enhancing alertness, promoting concentration and improving mood and well-being. As coffee's ingredients rapidly enter the brain and interfere with adenosine and its receptors, it is not surprising that it has been associated with a reduced risk of depression, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Studies have shown that moderate coffee consumption is also associated with a lower risk of heart failure, heart and respiratory diseases, strokes, injuries and accidents, diabetes, infections and mortality in general.

WHEN TO CONSUME CAFFEINE

One question is whether it matters when coffee is consumed. A recent study suggests that yes, it does.

In this study, two distinct patterns of coffee consumption were observed, namely the morning type pattern and a less common all-day pattern of coffee consumption.

Over about a decade, consuming caffeine in the morning rather than throughout the day was associated with lower risks of total and cardiovascular mortality.

WHY THE TIME OF CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION MATTERS

In the morning hours there is commonly observed a marked increase in sympathetic activity as we wake up and get out of bed, an effect that fades during the day and reaches its lowest level during sleep. Thus, it is possible that drinking coffee in the afternoon or evening disturbs the circadian rhythm of sympathetic activity.

In addition, coffee in the afternoon and evening disrupts sleep and, indeed, the quality and duration of sleep is an important cardiovascular risk factor.

Although we should note that we cannot rule out the possibility of a more complex relationship between cause and effect (for example, someone with a more unhealthy lifestyle who plans to stay up late eating pizza and watching TV may drink coffee in the afternoon to stay awake), it is wise to accept the now significant evidence that drinking coffee, especially in the morning hours, is likely to be healthy. Therefore, drink your coffee, but do it in the morning!

-Suprastratum: The authority on health, fitness and nutrition

Sources/bibliography/more reading:

• Nehlig A. Effects of coffee/caffeine on brain health and disease: what should I tell my patients? Pract Neurol. 2016 Apr;16(2):89-95. doi: 10.1136/practneurol-2015-001162. doi: 10.1136/practneurol-2015-001162. Epub 2015 Dec 16. PMID: 26677204.
• Mostofsky E, Rice MS, Levitan EB, Mittleman MA. Habitual coffee consumption and risk of heart failure: a dose-response meta-analysis. Circ Heart Fail. 2012 Jul 1;5(4):401-5. doi: 10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.112.967299. epub 2012 Jun 26. PMID: 22740040; PMCID: PMC3425948.
• Freedman ND, Park Y, Abnet CC, Hollenbeck AR, Sinha R. Association of coffee drinking with total and cause-specific mortality. N Engl J Med. 2012 May 17;366(20):1891-904. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1112010. erratum in: N Engl J Med. 2012 Jul 19;367(3):285. PMID: 22591295; PMCID: PMC3439152.
• Wang X, Ma H, Sun Q, Li J, Heianza Y, Van Dam RM, Hu FB, Rimm E, Manson JE, Qi L. Coffee drinking timing and mortality in US adults. Eur Heart J. 2025 Jan 8:ehae871. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae871. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae871. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39776171.
• Muller JE, Tofler GH, Verrier RL. sympathetic activity as the cause of the morning increase in cardiac events. a likely culprit, but the evidence remains circumstantial. circulation. 1995 May 15;91(10):2508-9. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.91.10.2508. PMID: 7743610.
• Shilo L, Sabbah H, Hadari R, Kovatz S, Weinberg U, Dolev S, Dagan Y, Shenkman L. The effects of coffee consumption on sleep and melatonin secretion. Sleep Med. 2002 May;3(3):271-3. doi: 10.1016/s1389-9457(02)00015-1. PMID: 14592218.
• Cappuccio FP, Cooper D, D'Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller MA. Sleep duration predicts cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur Heart J. 2011 Jun;32(12):1484-92. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehr007. epub 2011 Feb 7. PMID: 21300732.