Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Team Led by Dr. Sara Madadvi Presents Study
Women Who Consumed Caffeine Through Coffee Had Higher Probability of "Healthy Aging"
A recent study has found that drinking about two cups of coffee per day, based on the "tall size Americano" commonly consumed by Koreans, provides significant health benefits for women.
The research team led by Dr. Sara Madadvi at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health presented their findings at the "2025 American Society for Nutrition" conference, which was recently held in Orlando, United States. The study tracked and observed data from 47,513 women over a period of 30 years.
According to the study, women who consumed caffeine through coffee were found to have a much higher probability of "healthy aging."
"Healthy aging" was defined as not developing any of 11 chronic diseases?including cancer, stroke, and type 2 diabetes?while maintaining good mental health without cognitive impairment and having normal physical function.
The research team analyzed the lifestyle habits of 3,706 women who met all the criteria for "healthy aging" using data from the "Nurses' Health Study" (NHS), which has been conducted since 1984 by the U.S. health authorities and academia through surveys on diet, lifestyle, and health status among American female nurses. They found that these women consumed an average of 315 mg of caffeine per day through coffee.
This amount of caffeine is equivalent to about three small cups of coffee. Based on the "tall size Americano" (containing 150 mg of caffeine) popular in Korea, this corresponds to about two cups per day.
The research team analyzed that for middle-aged and older women, each additional small cup of coffee per day increased the probability of "healthy aging" by 2 to 5%. This effect was valid up to a maximum of five small cups per day.
Middle-aged and older women who drank an extra cup of coffee had a 2 to 5% higher chance of "healthy aging." Yonhap News
There was no "healthy aging" effect observed with decaffeinated coffee. Tea was also not found to be associated with healthy aging. In contrast, consuming caffeine through cola was shown to have a significant negative impact on healthy aging.
The research team explained that these results were obtained after comprehensively accounting for various variables, including body weight, smoking status, drinking habits, and physical activity. However, they cautioned against overstating the benefits of coffee, emphasizing that compared to more important lifestyle factors such as regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and not smoking, the advantages of coffee consumption are relatively minor.
The health benefits of coffee have been demonstrated in several previous studies. An appropriate amount of coffee is known to lower the risk of developing Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes, and it may also reduce the risk of certain cancers. Some studies have also found that drinking an appropriate amount?about three to five cups per day?can lower the risk of early death.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
