Research Reveals the Best Time to Drink Coffee to Reduce the Risk of Early Death

JAKARTA - Coffee has long been known as a drink that can increase energy and concentration. A number of studies have also linked coffee consumption to better heart health and longer life.

However, recent studies show that the time of drinking coffee can determine the size of the health benefits obtained.

The study, published in the journal European Heart Journal, found that drinking coffee in the morning could potentially reduce the risk of premature death, including death from heart disease. Conversely, similar benefits were not found in people who consumed coffee throughout the day until the afternoon or evening.

The study analyzed health data and consumption patterns from more than 40 thousand adults in the United States. Researchers divided the time of drinking coffee into three periods, namely morning (04.00-11.59), afternoon (12.00-16.59), and evening (17.00-03.59).

The results showed that the group who only drank coffee in the morning had a 16 percent lower risk of premature death from various causes compared to those who did not drink coffee. In addition, this group also showed a 31 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

The lead author of the study, Lu Qi, said the study was the first to specifically examine the time pattern of coffee consumption on health.

"This is the first study to examine the timing of coffee drinking and its health outcomes. Usually we do not give advice on consumption time in dietary guidelines, but maybe in the future this needs to be considered," said Lu Qi, quoted from the CNN website.

According to Qi, one of the possible causes is that coffee in the afternoon or evening can disrupt the body's circadian rhythm, including the production of the hormone melatonin which plays an important role in sleep quality.

"Consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt the body's biological rhythm and hormone levels such as melatonin," he explained.

Low melatonin levels are associated with higher blood pressure, oxidative stress, and increased risk of heart disease.

Not only caffeinated coffee, this study also found that decaffeinated coffee (decaf) showed a similar pattern of benefits if consumed in the morning.

Interestingly, these benefits appear regardless of the amount of consumption, whether less than one cup or more than three cups per day.

However, experts warn that the results of the study cannot be directly concluded as a cause-and-effect relationship. The study is observational, so it only shows a relationship, not proving that drinking coffee in the morning directly prevents premature death.

Nutritionist who was not involved in the study, Vanessa King, said the study results were still important because heart disease is still the leading cause of death.

"This study is observational, meaning it is not an experiment which is the gold standard of research. However, these findings are still meaningful because cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death," said King.

Meanwhile, a cardiologist from the University of Colorado Anschutz, David Kao, called this study one of the most interesting studies in recent years on coffee.

"This study is interesting because it uses methods such as machine learning to categorize coffee drinking patterns and validate findings in more than one data source," said Kao.

Even so, the research team admitted that there were still a number of limitations, including the possibility of bias from the respondents' dietary reports and other lifestyle factors that have not been fully controlled.

For example, people who only drink coffee in the morning may also be more disciplined in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, such as exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and eating minimally processed foods. So when is the best time to drink coffee?

Based on this study, the best time to drink coffee is in the morning, around 04.00 to before noon (11.59). If you want to get the most optimal health benefits, researchers suggest avoiding the habit of drinking coffee in the afternoon or evening, especially if it can interfere with sleep.

However, experts still remind that the ideal consumption of coffee can be different for each person, depending on health conditions, sensitivity to caffeine, as well as recommendations from doctors or nutritionists.