Coffee drinkers reap health boost – but only if they do it in the morning

Morning coffee drinkers in a large US study had lower mortality than people who avoided coffee, while the benefit did not appear among those who drank coffee throughout the day. Analysis of 40,725 adults in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999 to 2018) found morning drinkers were 16% less likely to die of any cause and 31% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease over a 10-year follow-up than non-drinkers. The findings, published in the European Heart Journal, do not explain the reason, though the researchers suggest later coffee may disrupt circadian rhythms and melatonin, affecting sleep, inflammation and blood pressure.