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Anthea Rowan

How many have you had today? It is 10am and I am on my second. I will have a third before the day is out, possibly a fourth. I can feel good about every one I consume, to a point, research says. You know what I am talking about: coffee.
A host of experts agree that drinking coffee comes with benefits. American longevity researcher Dan Buettner, who coined the term “Blue Zones” for places with longer life expectancies and lower rates of chronic disease, calls coffee one of the greatest longevity beverages there is.
Why is that? Well, moderate coffee intake – up to three to four cups a day – is linked to longer telomeres.
Telomeres are “caps” at the ends of our chromosomes – a bit like the plastic tips of shoelaces to stop the fabric fraying. Telomeres naturally shorten with age, but the process appears to happen faster in people with major psychiatric conditions.
This seems to be linked to chronic psychological stress, inflammation, oxidative stress and hormonal dysregulation, in which the body is always, or often, under pressure.












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We have known for some time that coffee drinking is good for us – now research suggests that moderate intake might help slow cellular ageing even in people with mental health disorders and fast-shrinking telomeres.
In a Norwegian study that analysed the data of 436 adults with schizophrenia and other affective disorders, participants reported their coffee habits and were grouped according to intake: none, one to two cups, three to four cups, or more than five cups per day.
Telomere length followed a J-shaped pattern: those drinking three to four cups daily had the longest telomeres, while those consuming more than five cups showed no advantage over non‑drinkers.
The study authors suggest it is coffee’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that might be protecting telomeres. They warn, though, that excessive coffee – anything more than those four cups per day, about 400mg of caffeine – could increase oxidative stress and accelerate cellular damage.
We are inclined to think of coffee only in terms of its caffeine content: we rely on it to give us an early morning boost; we might worry later in the day that we have had too much when we get jittery; we fret a late-night cup will keep us awake. But Hong Kong registered dietitian Sally Poon says coffee contains far more than just caffeine.
Coffee is naturally rich in a whole host of bioactive plant compounds with exotic-sounding names like chlorogenic acids, trigonelline, cafestol, kahweol and melanoidins, she says.
“It’s these antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules that can help limit oxidative stress and inflammation, two biological processes strongly linked to telomere shortening – the gradual loss of protective DNA caps that marks cellular ageing.”

Laboratory work, she says, even suggests that caffeine itself may influence telomerase, the enzyme that maintains telomeres, but this evidence in humans remains preliminary. “Overall, the protective effects are mainly attributed to coffee’s antioxidant compounds, not to caffeine alone.”
Do not worry, decaf drinkers – decaf “still offers similar advantages for long-term cellular and heart health”, Poon says.
When caffeine is removed during decaffeination, the natural antioxidants remain largely intact, Poon says. It is these, rather than caffeine, that are believed to be linked with healthier ageing and lower disease risk.
Another study found that both regular and decaf coffee boosted heart health. Researchers found that coffee drinkers – regardless of their caffeine preference – faced a lower overall risk of death and a reduced risk of dying from heart disease.

Beyond heart health, gut health and anti-ageing, coffee has been linked with lower risks of several chronic and long-term conditions: type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis, gout, and more.
At higher intakes, or in people who are sensitive to caffeine, drinkers can experience “temporary” symptoms including headache, anxiety, tremor, insomnia, palpitations, agitation and gastrointestinal upset, Poon says. These reactions are typically short‑lived and improve when caffeine intake is reduced.
Some people need to be more careful, even cautious, about coffee consumption than others, she adds.
“Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people who have certain heart rhythm or anxiety disorders, or take medications that interact with caffeine should consult a healthcare professional before increasing coffee consumption.”
So how – and when – should you drink it?
Preferably in the morning, says research published in the European Heart Journal in early 2025: “Our findings suggest that coffee drinking in the morning may be more strongly associated with lower mortality than coffee drinking later in the day.”

Poon says to drink coffee black if you can, and avoid adding sugar, syrups, whipped cream or creamers, “which add unnecessary calories”.
Buettner advocates light roasts – which have fewer carcinogens than dark roasts – run through a drip filter, which may help remove carcinogenic oils. He agrees it is best to drink coffee in the morning and to try to avoid caffeinated coffee after noon.
“Caffeine has about a 12-hour half-life,” he says, which means half of it will still be in your system at midnight.
With coffee drinking linked not just to short-term boosts to alertness and mood but longer-term lower risks of heart disease, certain cancers and other chronic conditions, it is little wonder that Edward Giovannucci, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a recent Consumer Reports article:
“The evidence in coffee’s favour has never been stronger.”
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Poon says to drink coffee black if you can, and avoid adding sugar, syrups, whipped cream or creamers, “which add unnecessary calories”. Photo: Shutterstock

Coffee drinking has been linked with short-term boosts to alertness and mood and, over the longer term, lower risk of heart disease, certain cancers and other chronic conditions. Photo: Shutterstock

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Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Food & Drink

Studies show that drinking coffee comes with a range of health benefits. We look at what they are and how much is best to drink


Studies show that drinking coffee comes with a range of health benefits. We look at what they are and how much is best to drink.


Healthy eating

How to age well

How much coffee should you drink a day to get the most health benefits? Experts reveal

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Studies show that drinking coffee comes with a range of health benefits. We look at what they are and how much is best to drink

Studies show that drinking coffee comes with a range of health benefits. We look at what they are and how much is best to drink