Coffee helps with healthy ageing, but cola could be a problem: Study

Drinking coffee could help women age more healthily, while cola could do the opposite, according to researchers from Harvard University, Tufts University and the University of Toronto.

A team of scientists speaking at the May 31 – June 3 Nutrition 2025 conference in Orlando say they found indications that “regular coffee intake in midlife were modestly and favourably associated with healthy ageing.”

Not all caffeinated drinks have that same positive effect, however. “Drinking more cola was tied to a significantly lower chance of healthy ageing,” the team warned, after studying caffeine intake almost 50,000 women over 30 years.

A morning coffee not only kickstarts a day, it can “help women stay sharp, strong and mentally well as they age,” the researchers said, adding that they “didn’t find any links with tea or decaf.”

Coffee “may uniquely support ageing trajectories that preserve both mental and physical function,” said Sara Mahdavi of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Toronto, who at the same time cautioned that “the benefits from coffee are relatively modest compared to the impact of overall healthy lifestyle habits.”

Caffeine intake was assessed using “validated food frequency questionnaires” takeing in coffee, tea, cola and decaf, the team explained, adding that the findings were “adjusted for age, BMI [body mass index], smoking, alcohol, physical activity, education, and dietary protein.”

The findings follow the publication in 2023 and 2024 of research showing espresso to be a potential barrier against cognitive decline and moderate coffee intake as possibly reducing the likelihood of stroke and diabetes.