Tea or coffee? Harvard researcher's 30-year study on 50,000 women might settle the debate
In a revelation that could reshape your morning routine, a Harvard-backed study spanning over three decades and involving nearly 50,000 women has linked
moderate coffee consumption
with healthier aging and improved longevity. And no, tea or decaf doesn't make the cut.
Led by Dr. Sara Mahdavi, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the research presented at the American Society of Nutrition's annual meeting suggests that caffeinated coffee—specifically—may play a pivotal role in preserving both mental sharpness and physical vitality well into old age.
How Coffee Came Into the Anti-Aging Spotlight
Beginning in 1984, the study followed 47,513 women, tracking their health outcomes, lifestyle choices, and daily beverage habits. Fast forward to 2016, and only 3,706 of them qualified as 'healthy agers.' What counted as healthy aging? Reaching age 70 or older without major chronic illnesses, cognitive decline, or physical impairments—and with self-reported good mental health.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
20 Things Women Should NEVER Wear!
Theseniormag.com
Undo
The standout factor? Coffee consumption. Women who drank at least one cup of caffeinated coffee daily were more likely to fall into the healthy aging group. Even more compelling: for every additional cup consumed per day (up to five), the chances of aging well increased by 2% to 5%. The benefits, however, tapered off after five cups—suggesting moderation is still key.
'Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors,' said Dr. Mahdavi in a press release, adding that the findings reinforce—but don't outweigh—the impact of exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding smoking.
You Might Also Like:
India's silent epidemic: 6 foods to include in your diet if you have fatty liver
Not All Caffeine Is Created Equal
Interestingly, the benefits were exclusive to regular coffee. Tea and decaffeinated versions showed no significant impact on healthy aging, while soda—specifically cola—was associated with reduced positive health outcomes.
This isn't the first study to give coffee a gold star. A separate study published in May 2024 involving 50,000 American adults found that one to three cups of coffee daily reduced the risk of death within the next decade by 15% compared to non-coffee drinkers.
But Dr. Mahdavi cautions that coffee isn't a miracle brew. While it may help tip the scales toward graceful aging, its effects are modest when weighed against broader lifestyle choices. 'The benefits from coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of overall healthy lifestyle habits and warrant further investigation,' she said.
So, Should You Pour Another Cup?
If you're healthy, active, and already enjoy your daily brew, science says—go ahead. Your coffee habit may be doing more than waking you up. It might just be helping you age better. But remember, more isn't always better. It's about striking the right balance—just like the perfect cup.
You Might Also Like:
This 'healthy' breakfast drink may be doing more harm than good for diabetics. Health experts warn
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
21 minutes ago
- India Today
Netanyahu denies report alleging Israeli troops ordered to shoot Gaza aid-seekers
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz emphatically rejected a report in the left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz on Friday, which claimed Israeli soldiers were ordered to shoot at Palestinians approaching aid sites inside Gaza. They called the report's findings 'malicious falsehoods designed to defame' the than 500 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded while seeking food since the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid in the territory about a month ago, according to Gaza's Health witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on the roads heading toward the sites. Reacting to the Haaretz piece, Israel's military confirmed that it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. It rejected the article's allegations 'of deliberate fire toward civilians'. The foundation, which is backed by an American private contractor, has been distributing food boxes at four locations, mainly in the far south of Gaza, for the past month.'GHF is not aware of these incidents, but these allegations are too grave to ignore, and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner,' the group said in a social media trying to find food have frequently encountered chaos and violence on their way to and on arrival at the aid sites. Tens of thousands are desperate for food after Israel imposed a 2 1/2-month siege on Gaza, blocking all food, water and medicine from entering the territory pending the setup of the GHF bodies of eight people who died on Friday had come to Shifa Hospital from a GHF site in Netzarim, although it was not immediately clear how they died, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmyiha, the hospital's director, told The Associated Press. A GHF spokesperson challenged the report, saying they did not know of any incidents at or near their sites other bodies his hospital received Friday came from airstrikes across northern Gaza, he of Palestinians walk for hours to reach the hubs, moving through Israeli military zones where witnesses say Israeli troops regularly open fire with heavy barrages to control the crowds. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning Fawzi, a displaced man from Rafah, told the AP that he was only able to get empty boxes, not food, from the aid site in the Shakoush area in Rafah when he trekked there early Thursday morning.'We were shot at from 6 am up until 10 am just to get aid and only some people were able to receive it. There are martyrs and injured people. The situation is difficult,' he group Doctors Without Borders on Friday condemned the distribution system as 'a slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid' and called for it to be immediately shut than 6,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18. Since the war began, more than 56,000 people have been killed and 132,000 injured, according to the health Gaza Health Ministry doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the 56,000 dead. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding amongst civilians, because they operate in populated Israel-Hamas war started following the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, when some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostages. About 50 of them still remain in captivity in latest deaths include six people killed and 10 wounded in Israeli strikes on a group of citizens near the Martyrs Roundabout in the Bureij Camp in the central Gaza Strip, officials at Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said United Nations chief meanwhile urged leaders to show 'political courage' and agree to a ceasefire like the one forged between Israel and Antnio Guterres also urged a return to the UN's long-tested distribution system for aid in Gaza, where he said Israeli military operations have created 'a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions.''The search for food must never be a death sentence,' Guterres stressed to UN reporters Friday.- EndsTune InMust Watch
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
At least 49 people killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza as ceasefire prospects inch closer
At least 49 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer. The strikes began late Friday (June 27, 2025) and continued into Saturday (June 28, 2025) morning, among others killing 12 people near the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought. More than 20 bodies were taken to Nasser hospital, according to health officials. The strikes come as U.S. President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, the President said, 'we're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.' An official with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, will arrive in Washington next week for talks on Gaza's ceasefire, Iran and other subjects. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Talks have been on again off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip's dire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to still be alive. They were part of some 250 hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the 21-month-long war. The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children. There is hope among hostage families that Trump's involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, and he could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose. Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected. Meanwhile hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza. After blocking all food for 2 1/2 months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May. Efforts by the United Nations to distribute the food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys. Palestinians have also been shot and wounded while on their way to get food at newly formed aid sites, run by the American and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza's health officials and witnesses. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on the roads heading toward the sites. Israel's military said it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
"I need to live every darn day to the fullest": New freedom for former tennis star Chris Evert after ovarian cancer ordeal
Chris Evert (via Getty Images) Tennis great Chris Evert , a retired world No. 1 and 18-time Grand Slam singles titlist, recently shared that her battle with ovarian cancer has radically transformed her perspective on life and self-expression. Diagnosed twice with stage 1 ovarian cancer, Chris Evert is now cancer-free and is leveraging her platform to promote awareness, genetic screening, and living life on her terms. Chris Evert speaks out about her fight with cancer and how it redefined her voice and purpose Chris Evert's experience with ovarian cancer was defined by tragedy, caution, and strength. Having already lost her sister Jeanne to the disease, Chris Evert was tested genetically and determined to be a carrier of the BRCA-1 mutation. After a preventative hysterectomy in 2022, physicians found stage 1 ovarian cancer through routine pathology. Although the cancer came back, it was once more detected early on and effectively treated. Now 69, Chris Evert is in remission for the second time. "Before this period of my life, I used to be wary of image and speaking out. Now I just say what I want to say, and that is an attitude that sets you free. If I am well informed and educated on a subject and I have an opinion, then I like to use my voice to speak out," Evert recently explained. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like India: Jewelry On Sale For Half Price (See Price List) Luxury Jewelry | search ads Undo That's the attitude that's given her not only confidence but also a mission: empowering women to know their risk factors, to get genetic testing, and to take their health into their own hands. How an unexpected cancer diagnosis finally set Chris Evert free: "I used to be wary... Now I just Although Evert promotes early awareness, experts warn against a misconception: that there is an "early test" for ovarian cancer. As reported by the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), no screen is yet effective in detecting the disease in its earliest stages among the general population. Rather, professionals highlight genetic testing and preventive surgeries, particularly for high-risk patients with BRCA mutations. Dr. Gillian Hanley, associate professor at the University of British Columbia, points to the singularity of Evert's case: 'She would never have been symptomatic,' says Hanley. 'There's no screening method that would have picked that up. The only reason that cancer was diagnosed is because her fallopian tubes were removed and then they were very, very carefully analyzed by a pathologist… and that doesn't occur outside of the case of a BRCA mutation. ' No early detection for ovarian cancer—but knowledge is power Ovarian cancer is uncommon, occurring in approximately 1 in 87 women during their lifetime, but tends to be diagnosed late because it has insidious symptoms. As opposed to popular belief, the CA-125 blood test and transvaginal scans are not effective for early detection. A UK clinical trial in 2021 on a large population showed that existing screening practices do not lower mortality. This is why medical experts now focus on prevention through genetic testing and risk-reducing surgeries like salpingectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes), especially during unrelated pelvic surgeries. 'So again, we're not saying that your regular woman on the street needs to go in and have this elective surgery,' said Sarah DeFeo of OCRA. 'But we know that hundreds of thousands of women are having surgery every year anyway, for a different reason, where they could take the opportunity to take out their tubes at the same time, potentially. It's something that they should talk to their doctor about, and it's something that doctors should be thinking about. ' DeFeo also encourages women to realize that family background counts on both sides. BRCA mutations are also inherited from fathers, so it is important to know your full genetic history. "It does change you when you have a battle like this and I do think about whether my cancer will come back from time to time, but what I think about more is that I need to live every darn day to the fullest. You know, I'd better start doing only things that I want to do and only things that make me happy. That's the way I think now," Evert said. "When you have lived through an experience like this, you appreciate that every day is precious. You just don't know what's around the corner and the reality is you have no control over it. So live every moment. This feels like a second chance for me, no doubt about it. Sometimes you have to sink to the lowest depths and get to a point where you wonder whether you will get through something like cancer to change your mindset," she said. Also read: Serving love: Top 5 Grand Slam romances that you probably didn't know about Chris Evert's survival story proves that by pushing women to venture into genetic testing and make informed choices, Evert has discovered a purpose greater than any championship medal. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
