Drinking Black Coffee Every Morning May Help You Live Longer

A new study has found that drinking one to three cups of black caffeinated coffee per day is linked to a lower risk of death from all causes and death from cardiovascular disease, but adding sugar and saturated fat in large amounts may eliminate these benefits.

What the Research Says

The study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, examined the relationship between coffee intake, including the amount of added sugar and saturated fat, and mortality among United States adults.

They found that consuming at least one cup of caffeinated coffee daily was associated with a 16% lower risk of all-cause mortality and mortality from cardiovascular disease.

Two to three cups reduced the risk by 17%. Beyond three cups, however, no additional reductions were observed, and the benefits for cardiovascular disease mortality weakened when more than three cups were consumed.

Researchers also found that consuming black coffee and coffee with low levels of added sugar and saturated fat was associated with a 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with no coffee consumption. However, the reduced risk was not observed when high amounts of saturated fat and sugar were added.

“The reality is, most of us don’t just drink coffee alone,” Fang Fang Zhang, Ph.D, senior author of the study and the Neely Family Professor at the Friedman School.

“Although we might think, anecdotally, that yes, sugar and fat maybe weaken the benefits of coffee consumption, we wanted to really generate some evidence,” Zhang added.

How the Study Was Conducted

Zhang and her team used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2018, linked to National Death Index Mortality Data, which included a nationally representative sample of 46,222 adults aged 20 years and older.

Researchers defined “low added sugar” as granulated sugar, honey, or syrup under 5% of the FDA’s Daily Value, 2.5 grams per 8-ounce cup, or approximately half a teaspoon of sugar.

Meanwhile, “low saturated fat” was defined as 5% of the FDA Daily Value from milk, cream, and half-and-half.

That’s equivalent to 1 gram per 8-ounce cup, or:

• 5 tablespoons of 2% milk
• 1 tablespoon of light cream
• tablespoon of half-and-half

The Significance of the Results

This study is one of the first to examine how what we put in our coffee may be as important as drinking it, said Liz Weinandy, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian nutritionist and instructor of practice in medical dietetics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

While the researchers did not examine how or why coffee on its own may have protective effects, other studies suggest that caffeine may help speed up your metabolism and improve insulin sensitivity.

Coffee beans also have flavonoids, which have been linked to many health benefits, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

On the other hand, research has shown that high amounts of sugar and saturated fats can harm glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, leading to obesity.

“This is just one study, but it certainly supports what we already know—sugar and saturated fat are not good for human health, and we should limit both in our diets,” Weinandy said.

Should You Alter Your Coffee Order?

While many nutrition-based studies offer a cautionary message about what to stay away from, Zhang said she feels the overall message from this study is positive:

“Enjoy your coffee if you’re a coffee drinker,” she said. “It’s a good thing that we saw the benefits of drinking coffee. Just watch what you add to it. If you enjoy some milk, you can add it, if you enjoy some sugar, you can do that—try not to go beyond the threshold.”