...it has found that the timing of your americano, or cappuccino, or espresso may well have an influence on your long-term health.

Published in the European Heart Journal, the study focussed on the timing of drinking coffee and mortality in the US, following over 40,000 adults over 20 years.  Researchers looked at dietary habits compared with medical records and found that drinking coffee in the morning may be more strongly associated with a lower risk of mortality than drinking coffee later in the day.

So, morning drinkers of coffee (36% of the participants) had a lower risk of death, and the evidence suggested that it didn’t change if they were moderate drinkers of 2-3 cups or whether they drank more – although the benefits to health were smaller for people who only had one.  And the reasons?  Possible explanations include the impact on melatonin and sleep which in turn influences inflammation in the body and heart, and the nutrients and compounds in coffee that work more effectively in the morning.

Research like this shows that it is not just what you eat and drink that can impact your health, but also when and how.  And it’s personal – what works for one person doesn’t for another, because we are all different, which is why working with registered nutritional therapists like Kathrin at Optimal Nutrition, with support, coaching and tailored information and advice can reap significant benefits to how you feel.

Interesting stuff!