A morning cup of coffee might do more than just wake you up — it could also support healthier aging, at least for women.
A new study suggests that middle-aged women who regularly drink caffeinated coffee are more likely to stay mentally sharp and physically functional as they get older. Researchers shared their findings Monday at a meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.
Each extra cup of coffee was linked to a 2% to 5% higher chance of aging gracefully, the results show.
“The findings suggest that caffeinated coffee — not tea or decaf — may uniquely support aging trajectories that preserve both mental and physical function,” said Sara Mahdavi, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in a news release.
For the study, researchers followed more than 47,500 women enrolled in the long-running Nurses’ Health Study, which has been collecting health data since 1984. They compared the women’s caffeine intake to measures of healthy aging, defined as reaching age 70 without major chronic illnesses, maintaining physical function, enjoying good mental health, and having no memory or thinking difficulties.
By 2016, more than 3,700 women met all the criteria for “aging gracefully,” researchers reported.
In middle age, these women typically consumed about 315 milligrams of caffeine per day — roughly three small cups or one and a half large cups of coffee — with over 80% of that caffeine coming from coffee itself.
The study found that each additional 80 milligrams of caffeine daily increased a woman’s odds of healthy aging. It also improved the chances of avoiding chronic illness, staying physically strong, and maintaining memory and mental function.
But not all caffeinated beverages had the same effect. Coffee alone was linked to better aging outcomes, with benefits seen up to five small cups or two and a half large cups per day. In contrast, caffeinated colas were associated with worse outcomes: each small glass of soda reduced the likelihood of healthy aging by 20% to 26%. Decaf coffee and tea, on the other hand, didn’t show a significant effect either way.
“These results, while preliminary, suggest that small, consistent habits can shape long-term health,” Mahdavi said. “Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding smoking.”
However, she cautioned that coffee is not a fountain of youth.
“While this study adds to prior evidence suggesting coffee intake may be linked with healthy aging, the benefits from coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of overall healthy lifestyle habits and warrant further investigation,” Mahdavi added.
Researchers plan to further study how compounds in coffee might influence the aging process.
Mahdavi presented these findings Monday at the American Nutrition Society’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.
It’s important to remember that results presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until they’re published in a peer-reviewed journal.
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