Harvard Study Links Coffee Consumption to Healthy Aging in Women

Long-term research finds that caffeinated coffee may support physical and cognitive health. A new study led by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that regular consumption of caffeinated coffee may be associated with healthy aging in women.

The findings, presented at the American Society of Nutrition’s annual meeting, are based on a 30-year observational study involving 47,513 women.

Woman drinking coffee | Source: Pexels

Conducted under the direction of Dr. Sara Mahdavi, the study tracked participants from 1984 through 2016, evaluating their coffee consumption and health outcomes. By the end of the study period, only 3,706 women met the criteria for “healthy aging,” defined as being age 70 or older without any of 11 chronic diseases, maintaining mental and physical function, and reporting positive mental health without cognitive impairment.

“Caffeinated coffee—not tea or decaf—may uniquely support aging trajectories that preserve both mental and physical function,” said Mahdavi, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard.

Participants reported their intake of caffeinated beverages, including coffee, tea, and soda. The results showed that women who drank at least one cup of coffee per day were more likely to age healthfully. Each additional daily cup was linked to a 2% to 5% higher chance of meeting healthy aging criteria, with benefits peaking around five small cups daily.

Woman drinking coffee | Source: Pexels

The study also found that tea and decaffeinated coffee had no significant association with healthy aging, while cola consumption was linked to poorer health outcomes.