DRINKING coffee in the morning is the healthiest time to enjoy it, a study has found.
People who take their java before lunch have a lower risk of heart disease or dying young than those who guzzle it all day.
Scientists from Tulane University in New Orleans said caffeine in the afternoon or evening might disrupt the body clock and raise blood pressure.
They studied coffee’s effects on 40,725 people between 1999 and 2018.
Just over a third of people – 36 per cent – drank their coffee in the morning, while 16 per cent drank it all day and 48 per cent had none at all.
Morning drinkers had a 31 per cent lower chance of heart disease than the other two groups, and were 16 per cent less likely to die prematurely.
We must accept the now substantial evidence that coffee drinking, particularly in the morning hours, is likely to be healthy
Professor Thomas Lüscher
People who drank it all day had the same disease risk as people who did not drink it at all.
Study author Dr Lu Qi said: “This is the first study that indicates it’s not just whether you drink coffee or how much you drink, but the time of day that’s important.
“Perhaps we should think about giving advice about timing in dietary guidance in the future.
“A possible explanation is that consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt circadian rhythms and levels of hormones such as melatonin.
“This in turn leads to changes in cardiovascular risk factors such as inflammation and blood pressure.
“We need clinical trials to test the potential impact of changing the time of day when people drink coffee.”
Coffee is now almost as popular as tea in the UK and Brits drink a combined 98million cups per day, compared to 100m brews.
Previous research suggests the brown stuff can reduce people’s risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke and dementia – and even lower chances of cancer.
The benefits may come from antioxidants in coffee beans and a metabolism boost from caffeine.
Professor Thomas Lüscher, from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London, was not part of the study but added: “We must accept the now substantial evidence that coffee drinking, particularly in the morning hours, is likely to be healthy.
“So drink your coffee, but do so in the morning!”
The study was published in the European Heart Journal.
STUDIES regularly find that drinking coffee can be good for your health – here are some of its reported benefits:
A longer life: It helps us stay awake and could also keep us alive, according to science. Southern Medical University in China found coffee drinkers were a third less likely to die young.
A healthier heart: Semmelweis University in Hungary found average coffee drinkers had a 21 per cent lower chance of having a stroke and a 17 per cent lower risk of dying of heart disease.
A mighty memory: Research by the University of Verona found regularly drinking espresso coffee can reduce your risk of dementia-causing Alzheimer’s disease.
A curb on cancer: Studies suggest drinking moderate amounts of coffee can reduce the risk of cancers of the bowel and womb.
