Study shows women could live longer and free of chronic diseases thanks to coffee consumption | Credits: Shutterstock
Great news for coffee junkies. A new study has found a link between drinking up to three cups of coffee a day and longer, healthier lives in women.
“Women who drank one to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day in their 50s were more likely to reach older age free from major chronic diseases and with good cognitive, physical, and mental health,” said lead study author Dr. Sara Mahdavi, adjunct professor in the faculty of medicine and department of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto.
Scientists analysed data from 47,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study, a long-running research project that tracked participants for more than three decades. Participants kept accurate records of their coffee intake in midlife and throughout the subsequent 30 years using a validated food-frequency questionnaire, which scientists evaluated years later.
Moderate coffee consumption during midlife
“In this study, we found that moderate caffeinated coffee consumption during midlife was associated with a higher likelihood of healthy ageing 30 years later,” Mahdavi said.
The effects were found to be particularly pronounced in caffeinated coffee, according to the research. The same link was not found for tea or decaffeinated coffee, and drinking more cola or other caffeinated sodas was tied to a lower chance of healthy ageing.
“This would imply that coffee in particular has health-preserving or promoting effects,” said Dr. David Kao, Jacqueline Marie Schauble Leaffer Endowed Chair in Women’s Heart Disease and associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School, in an email. “As with other studies, they also appear to have found that coffee has a particular benefit over other caffeinated drinks.”
Mahdavi said, “Regular caffeinated coffee intake during midlife was modestly and consistently associated with healthy ageing, defined by survival to age 70 or older with intact cognitive, physical, and mental function and absence of 11 major chronic diseases.”
An observational study
The study is also observational, which means it is limited in its ability to examine direct cause-and-effect relationships. The new research can only show that a behaviour and an outcome are more likely to occur together.
Researchers took that into account and adjusted for other factors that could link coffee drinking and healthy ageing, such as lifestyle, demographics, and other dietary differences. However, it is still possible that another variable is at play, Mahdavi added.
The research, which has not been peer-reviewed, was presented Monday at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.
One cup linked to higher chance of healthy ageing
The study found that every 80 milligrams of caffeine from coffee (roughly the amount in one small cup) daily was associated with a 2-5 per cent higher chance of healthy ageing. This benefit began to decrease after about five small cups per day.
Participants, on average, reported drinking about 315 milligrams of caffeine daily, which aligns with the US Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation that a maximum of up to 400 milligrams of caffeine daily is safe for most healthy adults.
Coffee contains more than 100 unique bioactive compounds, many of which are antioxidants, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, and carotenoids. These plant compounds, known as phytochemicals, may play a role in promoting healthy ageing.
Eliminates cell-damaging free radicals
Previous research has revealed that phytochemicals in coffee can help identify and eliminate free radicals, which can cause cell damage. Some of these compounds also have antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, which may offer protection against some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and cognitive decline.
Mahdavi, however, said that if you are not a coffee drinker already, these findings do not mean you should take on the caffeine habit now.
“Coffee may support longevity, but it’s not a universal prescription — especially for women. Hormonal shifts influence how caffeine is metabolised, so the benefits depend on timing, biology, and individual health,” she told CNN.
Although coffee may be an enjoyable aspect of a healthy lifestyle, it does not replace other healthy behaviours, such as eating nutritious foods, exercising, and getting good sleep, Mahdavi concluded.
