Consuming coffee in the morning may afford much greater cardiovascular health advantages than sipping coffee multiple times in a day. Several coffee studies have been done over the years; among them, a study done in the January 2025 edition of the European Heart Journal found that people who only took coffee in the morning had reduced rates of cardiovascular disease death and overall mortality than people who took coffee at any time of the day.
The work has notable authors from various parts of the world, including Dr. Lu Qi, HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and Professor at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University. Dr. Qi further notes that “In accordance with previous research done on this food type, it has been established that coffee does not lead to a heightened cardiovascular disease risk, but actually reduces the risk of other chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes.”
The study used data from 40,725 adults who took part in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2018. Participants gave a meticulous report of their food and beverage consumption, which included coffee consumption and times of the day it was taken for one or more days. An additional 1,463 of the participants also filled out a detailed seven-day diet record prior to the intervention. The researchers associated this information with mortality records for nine or ten years, thereby enabling evaluation of the long-term health consequences.
The study categorized participants into three groups: Regular coffee consumers were divided into morning (36%); all day (16%); and non-consumers of coffee (48%). The study showed that morning coffee drinkers were 16% less likely to die of any cause and 31% to die of cardiovascular disease compared to non-coffee consumers. Conversely, those who took coffee all day did not record a lower mortality threat as compared to a non-coffee-drinking populace.
Especially, the mortality rate risks for the moderate morning drinkers (those who consumed between two and three cups daily) and the heavy morning drinkers (those who consumed more than three cups daily) were equally lower significantly. Even lighter consumers of morning caffeine, those who had a maximum of one cup, also experienced risk reductions, although not as drastic.
From the results, we argue that coffee consumption is a function of both the quantity and the time of day when the beverage is consumed. Today’s nutritional advice is dos and don’ts in amounts to take, which could shift to control not just the dose but also the time of day when coffee is to be consumed in the future.
Circadian rhythms and effects on cardiovascular health may hold the key to explaining the results of the study. Dr. Qi, an expert in cardiovascular services, adds that taking coffee in the afternoon or in the evening can be unbeneficial because it affects the circadian clock and melatonin, which are important for the sleep-wake cycle and other processes. It can disrupt cardiovascular risk factors like inflammation and blood pressure and, in this case, lead to cardiovascular disease.” However, to support such hypotheses and generalize the results to other populations, more studies have to be done.
Read the following link for more information:
https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae871/7928425
Professor Thomas F. Lüscher, from Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, London, explains that the sympathetic system activity is high early in the morning during wakefulness and decreases progressively throughout the day to its nadir during sleep. When sampled in the morning, coffee may nestle this normal circadian rhythm; however, when consumed later in the day, it may disrupt the cycle and hamper melatonin synthesis, resulting in sleep clutter and escalated cardiovascular dangers.
Professor Lüscher concludes his editorial with a clear message: “Today, there is considerable data available regarding the ability of coffee to be regarded as healthy… at least if a person has no more than one or two cups in the morning. Therefore, drink your coffee, but do it in the morning only at that! Pursuant to these conclusions, the implications are most valuable for cardiology services as they demonstrate a simple and readily available method of nutritionally supporting the heart.
Integrating practice-based advice on the timing of coffee consumption into the recommendations given by cardiovascular services could make it possible to offer patients additional effective strategies. With such relatively minor changes to daily habits, cardiology services can make a convincing contribution to optimizing the spectrum of preventive measures and helping people stay healthy.For more information about the connection between coffee and cardiovascular conditions, get in touch with the experts at Advanced Cardiovascular Center.
