Three cups of coffee a day ‘make women age better’

A study that tracked 50,000 women over 32 years has found that having a small cup of this three times a day was linked to healthier ageing.

A morning coffee could help women age more healthily, a large study has suggested.

The research, which tracked nearly 50,000 women for 32 years, found that those who drank caffeinated coffee were significantly more likely to age well, maintaining physical, mental and cognitive health into their seventies and beyond.

The same link with healthy ageing was not seen for tea or decaffeinated coffee.

The findings, which were presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual conference in Orlando, add to growing evidence linking moderate coffee consumption to long-term health benefits.

“While past studies have linked coffee to individual health outcomes [such as a reduced risk of diabetes or heart disease], our study is the first to assess coffee’s impact across multiple domains of ageing over three decades,” said Dr Sara Mahdavi, who led the research at Harvard University.

Mahdavi and her colleagues drew on data from 47,513 women who were part of the Nurses’ Health Study, a large US research scheme.

They were aged between 45 and 60 when they were enrolled, and completed detailed surveys on diet, lifestyle and their health every four years beginning in 1984.

Three small cups of coffee were linked to healthier ageing when compared to other drinks like cola.

This included their caffeine intake, including from coffee, tea and fizzy drinks.

Healthy ageing was defined as being free of 11 chronic diseases – including cancer, stroke and type 2 diabetes – and having no cognitive impairment or memory complaints, good mental health and physical function.

By 2016 these benchmarks were met by 3,706 of the women.

Among them, caffeine consumption was consistently higher, primarily from coffee. They typically consumed an average of 315mg of caffeine a day, roughly equivalent to three small cups of coffee.

Each additional cup of caffeinated coffee per day in midlife was linked with a 2 per cent to 5 per cent greater likelihood of healthy ageing, up to a ceiling of five small cups daily. Tea and decaffeinated coffee showed no such association. Cola consumption was linked to a significantly lower chance of ageing well.

If you drank cola you were less likely to age well.

The NHS recommends that people should not exceed 400mg of caffeine per day – equivalent to roughly four cups of brewed coffee – but some will experience jitters, heart palpitations, anxiety and insomnia at lower doses.

The study adjusted for a range of variables including weight, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity and education. Still, the researchers warned the benefits of coffee appeared relatively modest when compared with exercise, a healthy diet and stopping smoking.

The research adds to previous studies showing coffee’s potential role in lowering the risk of Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

A review published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2022 concluded that moderate coffee consumption was associated with a reduced risk of an early death.

Experts emphasise moderation. Individual responses to caffeine vary widely: some people metabolise it much more slowly than others, increasing the risk of adverse effects.

How many coffees do you drink?

Mahdavi and her team stressed that coffee was not a miracle drug. “These results, while preliminary, suggest that small, consistent habits can shape long-term health,” she said. “Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviours.”

Further research will try to untangle the specific compounds in coffee that may be driving these effects and how they interact with individual genetic profiles.

Originally published as Three cups of coffee a day ‘make women age better’