The findings dont extend to decaf coffee or tea
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New research has found that women who drink about 1.5 coffees per day in middle age may have a greater chance of healthy aging.
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Not all caffeine is created equal: these same benefits didnt extend to other popular caffeine sources like tea or decaf coffee.
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Drinking soda can have negative aging effects, as women who drank a lot of soda had a much lower chance of healthy aging.
If youre often left wondering about how much coffee to have each day, the results of a new study may have you pouring another cup.
In a study recently presented at the American Society for Nutritions 2025 Annual Meeting, researchers learned that women who drink coffee may be more likely to experience healthy aging.
While past studies have linked coffee to individual health outcomes, our study is the first to assess coffees impact across multiple domains of aging over three decades, Dr. Sara Mahdavi, B.Sc., HBS.c., R.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., said in a news release.
The findings suggest that caffeinated coffee not tea or decaf may uniquely support aging trajectories that preserve both mental and physical function.
The study
The study followed over 47,000 women enrolled in the Nurses Health Study over the course of 30 years. Using food questionnaires, the researchers analyzed how much caffeine each woman consumed, focusing on common sources like coffee, tea, cola, and decaf coffee.
For the purposes of this study, healthy aging was defined as living to at least 70 years old without major chronic diseases, staying physically active, having good mental health, and showing no signs of cognitive decline or memory issues.
Our study has several key strengths, said Dr. Mahdavi. In addition to the large sample size and 30 years of follow-up, we assessed several different aspects of longevity and healthy aging as well as very comprehensive information on nutritional and lifestyle habits that were collected every four years after the initiation of the study.
Benefits of coffee
The researchers identified over 3,700 women as healthy agers in 2016.
What did their caffeine intake look like? On average, they consumed 315 mg of caffeine per day in middle age (45-60 years old), 80% of which came from coffee. This translates to about 1.5 large coffees each day.
If youre looking for even more coffee, youre in luck! The study showed that for these healthy agers, each additional daily cup of coffee (80 mg of caffeine) was linked to a 2-5% greater chance of healthy aging.
Not all caffeine is created equal
However, the study also showed that these benefits didnt hold up with decaf coffee or tea.
When it came to soda, the opposite was true: each extra small glass of caffeinated soda was tied to a 20% to 26% lower chance of healthy aging, suggesting that not all caffeine sources are created equal.
These results, while preliminary, suggest that small, consistent habits can shape long-term health, said Dr. Mahdavi.
Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding smoking. 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.
Posted: 2025-06-06 16:32:50
