Now be careful! I’ve been reporting the obvious and scientifically-proven health benefit of coffee for over 30 years. BUT it means plain, neat coffee, not the schlock-with-syrup you get at Starbucks and elsewhere.
It turns out there’s another catch too: it only works for you if you drink 1-3 cups in the morning. CUPS: not a 32 oz. flagon!
Why would morning time be important? Nobody knows – but it’s speculated that, since that’s the time of day when we experience the maximum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, it has to do with coffee’s anti-inflammatory properties. Also, the caffeine might disrupt our normal circadian rhythms.
This useful insight comes from an observational study based on the famous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Workers found that, compared with non-coffee drinkers, those who mostly drank coffee in the morning had a lower risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality when followed over a median 9.8 years.1
In contrast, people who kept drinking coffee later in the day, the all-day type, had no reduction in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality regardless of how much they consumed.
So… not a case of more is better. In the afternoons we start to turn to a parasympathetic state, which is soothing and relaxing. We don’t want that disrupted by caffeine!
Incidentally, neither coffee drinking pattern appeared to be tied to more or less cancer-specific mortality.
There was one slight but amusing problem with the science statistics: these were not randomized trials, because nobody wanted to be in the placebo group! Haha!
Lu Qi, MD, PhD, epidemiologist of Tulane University in New Orleans and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues in European Heart Journal performed their study using the 1999-2018 cycles of NHANES, a nationally representative cohort that includes health exams and lab tests. There were 40,725 adult participants identified who had completed 24-hour dietary recalls.
Reported coffee habits were fed into a cluster analysis that split participants into morning type (36%) and all-day types (16%) of coffee drinkers, the remainder considered non-coffee drinkers. These coffee drinking patterns were validated in 1,463 adults from the Women’s and Men’s Lifestyle Validation Study who had complete data on 7-day dietary records.
Compared with non-coffee drinkers, the morning and all-day types were older, more likely to be white, had higher family income, and a higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Among coffee drinkers, the morning-type pattern was associated with more tea and caffeinated soda drinking but lower overall quantities of coffee than the all-day pattern.
The authors tried to adjust their mortality analyses to account for between-group differences in caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee intake amounts, sleep hours, and other confounders.
It is, of course, possible that coffee drinkers differ from non-drinkers in a number of aspects. I’ve always had the suspicion that coffee drinkers are often smokers. That would skew the results, for sure.
How Much Is Too Much?
According to the Mayo Clinic, up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day (4 cups) appears to be safe for most healthy adults. I disagree and think that 200 mg is a safer limit. That’s roughly the amount of caffeine in 2 – 3 small cups of brewed coffee, 6 cans of cola or three “energy shot” drinks, such as Red Bull. Keep in mind that the actual caffeine content in beverages varies widely, especially among energy drinks.
A word of warning: Caffeine in powder or liquid form can quickly provide toxic levels of caffeine. Just one teaspoon of powdered caffeine is equivalent to about 28 cups of coffee! Such high levels of caffeine can cause serious health problems and possibly death.
So don’t be tempted to brew your own “red-eye” drink!
The De-Caffeinated Option
Doubtless it’s healthier for some people. If you are nervous, irritable, jumpy or get headaches with caffeine, you may want to try de-caffed. I prefer that option these days.
You may get withdrawal symptoms if you go suddenly cold turkey, so cut down gradually over 7 – 10 days.
But you need to know that the process of de-caffeinating coffee uses obnoxious chemicals, such as ethyl acetate or methylene chloride. Moreover, removing the caffeine often results in less flavor.
The so-called Swiss Water process for decaffeination does not use chemicals and does not spoil the flavor. CO2 or carbon dioxide is another chemical-free method of decaffeination. Because this method leaves the carbohydrates and proteins intact, there is less change in taste as a result of the decaffeination process. [Brittanica]
Other Benefits of Coffee/Caffeine
• Cardiovascular health:
Coffee may lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, and atrial fibrillation.
• Liver disease:
Regular coffee intake may reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
• Type 2 diabetes:
Coffee may improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.2
Parkinson’s disease:
Caffeine in coffee may protect brain cells that produce dopamine, reducing the risk of Parkinson’s.3
Cognitive Function and Mood:
• Increased alertness and focus:
Caffeine in coffee stimulates the central nervous system, improving cognitive function and alertness.4
• Reduced risk of Dementia5
Coffee Substitutes
This is really advice for shoppers, not medical expertise! But if you can’t hack coffee in any form, there are one or two alternatives to explore.
I have had some success with Pero, NoCaff and Barleycup (ground roast barley and chicory). Typically there is plenty of flavor; it’s just not the familiar taste, of course! Others include Cafix and Postum.
But then, why bother, if you are not getting the scientifically validated benefits of coffee? Might as well drink water!
Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby
The Official Alternative Doctor
References:
- Source Reference: Wang X, et al “Coffee drinking timing and mortality in US adults” Eur Heart J 2025; DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae871.
- Nutr Rev. 2018 Jun 1;76(6):395-417. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuy014
- Caffeine exposure and the risk of Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S221-38. (Source: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/food-features/coffee/#)
- Lara DR. Caffeine, mental health, and psychiatric disorders. [J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S239-48. (Source: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/food-features/coffee/#)
- Eskelinen MH, Kivipelto M. Caffeine as a protective factor in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S167-74. (Source: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/food-features/coffee/#)
