Top doctor reveals the hot drink that can help you live to 100 - but only if you have it in the morning

Daily Mail​

29-04-2025

A doctor has revealed that drinking coffee in the morning could be the secret to living a longer life.
According to top cardiologist Dr Aurelio Rojas, those who have a cup first thing have a longer life expectancy and are less likely to suffer a heart attack.
The 35 year-old doctor, who is based at the Hospital Regional Universitario in Malaga, Spain, published a video to his Instagram channel—where he has 400,000 followers—telling of illuminating research about the benefits of the drink.
The study, by experts at the Tulane University Obesity Research Centre in New Orleans, followed 20,000 people who drank the beverage for over 20 years, and compared their health outcomes to those who avoided it.
The researchers found that some coffee drinkers were 16 per cent less likely to have died over the course of the 10 year study, compared to those who did not drink it.
They were also 30 per cent less likely to have died from heart disease.
However, this reduced risk only applied to those who drank their coffee in the morning — the researchers saw no reduction in risk for all-day drinkers.
In his video, Dr Rojas explained that consuming caffeine after 12pm could disrupt our natural circadian rhythm, counteracting any potential health benefits.
'Drinking coffee in the afternoon seems to disrupt our circadian rhythm and the secretion of hormones that regulate our rest, such as melatonin or cortisol,' he said, adding that this 'increases stress levels.
'So yes, enjoy your coffee first thing in the morning.'
The benefits of the drink are said to lie with coffee beans, which are rich in a range essential nutrients such as vitamins B2 and B5, which help keep blood cells healthy and control heart-attack-causing cholesterol.
Coffee beans are also high in potassium and magnesium which are vital for regulating blood pressure and blood sugar.
Studies have shown that those with diets lacking in magnesium are more likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes.
Meanwhile, a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that plant compounds present in coffee can reduce the risk of type two diabetes by up to 10 per cent.
'Let's remember that coffee has shown beneficial effects on the heart, such as reducing the risk of diabetes, improving weight loss, and enhancing cardiovascular health,' Dr Rojas said in his video.
Numerous previous studies have provided evidence of the benefits of coffee for heart health, including one by researchers at Semmelweis University in Hungary and Queen Mary University of London, who found the beverage reduces the risk of life-threatening stroke.
The scientists also found that the health-boosting effect was only prominent if coffee was drunk by participants in the morning.
Other research has shown that drinking a surprisingly large amount of coffee could carry further benefits.
In 2023, researchers in Singapore interviewed 12,500 people in their 50s about their coffee and tea drinking habits and followed up with them up to 20 years later.
They found those who drank four cups of coffee or more each day had about half the odds of being physically frail in their 70s.
And compared to non-daily tea drinkers, daily drinkers of black or green tea had about 18 percent lower odds of frailty later on.
When the study broke down tea by type, daily green tea drinkers had greater benefit, showing 19 percent lower odds of frailty, compared to 12 percent lower odds for black tea drinkers.
The researchers did not claim to prove cause and effect, but they believe caffeine may combine with other antioxidant compounds in coffee and tea to slow cells degrading and prevent physical health conditions like heart disease and certain cancers, which can lead to frailty.
To partly test this idea, they also looked at total caffeine consumption, including not only coffee and tea but also soft drinks and chocolate.
Compared to those who consumed 67.6 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per day or less, those who took in the highest amount, 223-910.4 mg a day, had about 23 percent lower odds of frailty.
Frailty is a common condition in older adults, and its symptoms can include decreased energy, loss of muscle, weakness and slowness. Besides being a possible sign of other health problems, frailty can make daily life more difficult and put older adults at higher risk of falls.