Coffee's potential impact on aging and longevity: An exploration of its influence
Coffee's potential health advantages, particularly for women, are fascinating and the focus of ongoing research. A recent study shared at the Nutrition 2025 conference revealed that women who drink coffee may have a higher chance of experiencing healthy aging, free of major chronic diseases and physical or mental impairments as they grow older.
According to the study results, consuming regular coffee may lead to no physical function limitations, memory complaints, mental health impairments, cognitive impairments, or major chronic diseases among women in the Nurses' Health Study.
The study, carried out between May 31 and June 3, 2025, in Orlando, FL, suggests that we could attribute this to regular coffee consumption for healthy aging. However, it's essential to mention that the results are yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Healthy aging was defined based on several criteria, including living to at least 70 years old, being free of physical functional limitations, cognitive impairments, mental health issues, and memory complaints. Researchers used data from the Nurses' Health Study, allowing them to collect data from a large number of women over an extended period.
The study included 47,513 women, and researchers looked at caffeine intake from various sources, including regular and decaffeinated tea, cola, and regular and decaffeinated coffee. The impact of each beverage on healthy aging was determined. Many of the participants' caffeine intake came from coffee, with the median caffeine consumption set at 315 mg daily at baseline.
Researchers found that total caffeine intake and regular coffee consumption increased participants' chances of experiencing healthy aging. However, they did not find a similar association for drinking tea, decaffeinated tea, or decaffeinated coffee. Interestingly, the findings suggested that drinking cola might reduce women's likelihood of healthy aging.
Sara Mahdavi, BSc, HBSc, RD, MSc, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, and adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nutritional Sciences, was one of the study authors. She highlighted the study findings, stating that moderate coffee intake during midlife was modestly associated with healthy aging later in life. Every additional cup of coffee increased a person's chances of healthy aging by about 2%, while cola intake decreased it by around 20%.
While these results appear promising for coffee lovers, further research is required before strong conclusions can be drawn. The data only included women, primarily white participants, so it would be beneficial to observe if similar results can be replicated in other groups. Additionally, some data relied on participants answering health-related questions, which may lead to errors. Researchers may also not have considered confounding factors that could have influenced the overall results.
Further studies on various age ranges, healthy aging outcomes, and other potential confounding factors will be necessary to confirm the findings. When considering both sex and genetic differences, personalized nutrition will be crucial in future recommendations. Caution should also be exercised when consuming coffee, especially for those taking medication to control chronic conditions, as caffeine may interact with certain medications or impact underlying conditions.
- The nutritional benefits of coffee, especially for women, have drawn the interest of science and health-and-wellness experts, as a recent study at the Nutrition 2025 conference suggested that coffee consumption could promote healthy aging.
- According to the study, senior women who consume regular coffee may have a lower risk of experiencing physical function limitations, memory complaints, mental health impairments, cognitive impairments, or major chronic diseases.
- The generichealth implications of this study could extend beyond women's health, as the findings indicated that regular coffee consumption could potentially contribute to healthy aging.
- In ongoing research, science is still examining the connections between nutrition, aging, and longevity, with a particular focus on the role of coffee in women's health and fitness-and-exercise routines.
- Along with potential benefits, it's essential to consider caution in consuming coffee, as personalized nutrition recommendations will become increasingly important in future studies, taking into account both age ranges and potential genetic factors.
