Drinking a Cup of Coffee Every Day Helps Women Age Better, Study Finds

It’s good news for coffee lovers!

On Monday, June 2, findings from a large study focused on the connection between drinking coffee and healthy aging in women was presented at the annual Nutrition 2025 meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Orlando.

Following 30 years of analyzing almost 50,000 women’s dietary habits, researchers determined that a morning cup of coffee “might do more than boost energy; it could also help women stay sharp, strong and mentally well as they age,” according to a press release.

Data from women who were part of the Nurses’ Health Study began to be collected in 1984. When they enrolled, the participants were aged between 45 and 60 and filled out surveys providing details about their diet and health.

“The researchers assessed caffeine intake using validated food frequency questionnaires that included consumption of top contributors of caffeine such as coffee, tea, cola and decaffeinated coffee,” according to the press release.

“Healthy aging was defined as living to age 70 or older, being free from 11 major chronic diseases, maintaining physical function, having good mental health, exhibiting no cognitive impairment and showing no memory complaints,” it added.

Researchers found that “healthy agers” typically consumed an average of 315 mg of caffeine per day — roughly the amount of three small cups of coffee or one and a half large cups by today’s standards.

“More than 80% of that caffeine came from regular coffee consumption,” per the press release. “For women in the healthy agers group, each extra cup of coffee per day was tied to a 2% to 5% higher chance of doing well later in life.”

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Dr. Sara Mahdavi led the research while she was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

At Monday’s meeting, the study was presented as an abstract, but “a more in-depth manuscript of the investigation will be submitted for peer review in the coming months,” per CNN, citing Dr. Mahdavi.

“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,” Mahdavi said of the study, according to the outlet.

“Importantly, this relationship persisted even after accounting for key lifestyle factors like diet quality, physical activity and smoking — each of which are also strongly associated with healthy aging in their own right,” Mahdavi told Fox News Digital.

“The health benefits appeared specific to coffee, rather than caffeine more broadly,” Mahdavi told the outlet, adding, “We didn’t see the same associations with decaf coffee, tea or caffeinated soda — suggesting that coffee’s unique combination of bioactive compounds may play a key role.”

Mahdavi pointed out that the participants were mainly white, educated, female, health professionals, telling Fox News Digital, “Further work is needed to confirm generalizability to broader populations.”

She recognized that it’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle overall, adding, “These results, while preliminary, suggest that small, consistent habits can shape long‑term health.” 

“Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors, such as regular exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding smoking,” Mahdavi said, per Fox News Digital. “We don’t recommend starting coffee if you don’t already drink it or if you’re sensitive to caffeine.

“But for people who already consume moderate amounts — typically two to four cups per day — this study adds to the evidence that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle,” she added.

The American Society for Nutrition didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

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This isn’t the first time similar findings have been discovered regarding coffee consumption. A 2022 study found that drinking multiple cups of coffee a day was linked to a lower risk of death.

Before that, a 2018 study from the National Cancer Institute also found that coffee drinkers were less likely to die early than those who didn’t drink the beverage.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults.”