It’s Official Coffee Is Healthy

It's official, coffee is healthy and the best time to drink it is in the morning according to recent reports.

A recent article from Tea & Coffee Trade Journal reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new definition for healthy beverages includes coffee for the first time., saying calorie-free beverages including coffee are preferred in healthy dietary patterns.

The new "healthy" definition applies to coffee with fewer than five calories per 12 ounces (known as the "reference amount customarily consumed") and per serving. According to data in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database, the calorie content for 12 ounces of brewed coffee is just 3.55 calories.

This revised definition of "healthy" aims to provide consumers with more comprehensive and current nutritional information, aligning with the FDA's and broader government efforts to address nutritional health. To be officially labelled "healthy" products must now include specific amounts from one or more food groups recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These groups include fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy and grains. Additionally, products must adhere to set limits for saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.

The updated label is designed to guide consumers towards foods that form the basis of a healthy diet.

Coffee continues to plays a significant role in Americans' diets. More than two in three American adults had coffee in the past day (more than any other beverage including tap or bottled water) - the highest past-day coffee consumption in more than 20 years.

National Coffee Association (NCA) President and CEO William "Bill" Murray applauded the FDA's affirmation of coffee's status as a healthy, calorie-free beverage.

"The FDA's definition of coffee as healthy is all the more reason to celebrate the country's favourite beverage," said Murray "Decades of robust, independent scientific evidence show coffee drinkers live longer, healthier, happier lives and the FDA is absolutely right that including coffee in the definition of "healthy" can help consumers choose beverages that help maintain healthy diets."

A recent study, which was reported in The Telegraph, agrees stating drinking coffee in the morning could cut your of heart death by one-third.

Research on more than 40,000 adults who were tracked for more than a decade found those who started the day with a cup fared far better than those who drank no coffee. The study is the first to look at the impact of the time coffee is consumed on health outcomes. Previous research has had mixed findings about the impact of coffee on heart disease.

Some studies have suggested that moderate consumption may cut the risk, while high consumption may increase it. Coffee drinking has also been linked to reduced risk of some other disease, such as Type 2 diabetes. The new study from Tulane University in Louisiana was observational, with the research team tracking people for almost a decade. During the follow-up period, 4,295 people taking part in the study died.

Lower risk of mortality

Researchers said higher coffee intake amounts were "significantly" associated with a lower risk of death, but only among people who drank coffee in the morning compared with those who drank coffee all day.

"Drinking coffee in the morning may be more strongly associated with a lower risk of mortality than drinking coffee later in the day," they wrote in the European Heart Journal.

The study found morning coffee drinkers were 31% less likely to have died from heart disease, compared with those who drank no coffee. They also had a 16% lower risk of death from any cause.