Lower Death Rates in Morning Coffee Drinkers, but Not in All-Day Sippers

CATEGORY: HEART & CIRCULATION

Adults whose coffee drinking was concentrated in the morning had a 16% lower risk of death from any cause and a 31% lower risk of death from heart disease over nearly a decade than people who did not drink coffee—while those who sipped coffee throughout the day showed no such link, according to a large US study.¹

40,725 Adults Followed a Median 9.8 Years

Researchers analyzed 40,725 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a long-running federal health study, who had reported the timing of their food and drink. Using a statistical method that groups people by behavior, they identified two coffee patterns: a “morning type” (about 36% of participants) and an “all-day type” (about 14%). The patterns were confirmed in a separate group of 1,463 adults who kept seven-day diet records. Over a median follow-up of about 9.8 years, 4,295 participants died, including 1,268 from cardiovascular disease.

Amount Mattered Only Among Morning Coffee Drinkers

The lower risk tied to morning coffee held even after the researchers accounted for how much caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee people drank, along with sleep and other factors. Among morning drinkers, drinking more coffee was associated with lower mortality; among all-day drinkers, it was not. The authors suggested that drinking coffee later in the day might interfere with sleep or circadian rhythms—the body’s internal 24-hour clock—though the study was not designed to prove why.

Observational Data Cannot Prove Timing Caused the Difference

This was an observational study, so it can identify an association between morning coffee and lower risk of death but cannot prove the timing caused the difference. Coffee affects people differently, and factors such as heart rhythm, blood pressure, and sleep can shape whether it suits you.

21% Lower Risk in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome

Two other analyses of US adults point mostly the same way, with one complication. Among adults with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome—overlapping heart, kidney and blood-sugar problems—a morning-weighted coffee pattern was linked to 21% lower risk of death from any cause.² But among adults with diabetes, coffee between 8 a.m. and noon was linked to 20% lower risk, while coffee before 8 a.m. was linked to 25% higher risk.³

Key Takeaways

• A morning-focused coffee pattern was associated with 16% lower all-cause and 31% lower heart-disease death risk versus not drinking coffee.
• Drinking coffee all day long was not linked to the same lower risk.
• These are associations, not proof of cause and effect.

References

1. Wang X, Ma H, Sun Q, et al. Coffee drinking timing and mortality in US adults. European Heart Journal. 2025;46(8):749–759. link.
2. Liu P, Yao G, Wu Y, et al. Timing of coffee intake modifies mortality risk in cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: a cohort and experimental study. The FASEB Journal. 2026;40(11):e71490. link.
3. Yang R, Lei Q, Liu Z, et al. Relationship between timing of coffee and tea consumption with mortality (total, cardiovascular disease and diabetes) in people with diabetes: the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003–2014. BMC Medicine. 2024;22(1):526. link.