The secret to aging well? A daily cup of coffee helps women age gracefully, research finds
A 30-year study shows that drinking coffee daily may help women maintain physical and mental health as they age.
Coffee drinkers can be happy again! A study presented at the 2025 American Society for Nutrition meetings that if women drink a cup of coffee daily, they may keep woman at a healthier age. After 30 years of tracking nearly 50,000 women's diet and lifestyles, researches found that coffee consumption was associated with better physical health.
This study, led by Dr. Sara Mahdavi at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, states that women who consumed coffee daily seem to be living with well-being into their 70s and beyond. "It could also help women to stay sharp, strong and mentally well as they age,", according to a press release.
A cup of coffee helps women aging well, according to researches
The data comes from the Nurses' Health Study, who were part 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.
Researchers discovered that women who aged healthily consumed about 315 mg of caffeine daily, equivalent to three small or one and a half large cups of coffee by today's standards.
Dr. Sara Mahdavi led the research while she was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 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.
According to the citing media, Mahdavi said: 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.”
"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."
The doctor 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."
In the past, a 2018 study from the National Cancer Institute came to a similar conclusion when it said that coffee drinkers were less likely to die prematurely when compared to non-coffee drinkers.
According to the Mayo Clinic, "Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults".
