How much coffee do you need to drink to live a long and healthy life?

Coffee can increase longevity and reduce diabetes according to new research.Here's what the evidence says.

- Recent studies have revealed the potential health benefits of coffee, especially its effect on quality of life and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

- A study shows that drinking 3-4 cups of coffee a day can increase life expectancy and add 5 more years of life.

- Recent research shows that drinking 3 to 5 cups of coffee per day can reduce mortality and reduce the risk of certain diseases.

- The third study shows the health benefits of drinking coffee, especially in women as they age.

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, with more than 2 billion cups of coffee consumed worldwide every day.

About two-thirds of American adults drink coffee every day, with the average American drinking 3 cups of coffee a day.

Given the high level of coffee consumption, ongoing research is investigating the health consequences of coffee consumption.In addition to being a preferred beverage, coffee consumption can also provide many health benefits, possibly reducing mortality and reducing the risk of disease.

Healthy aging refers to the process of maintaining physical, mental, and social well-being throughout life.This often involves focusing on prevention and making healthy lifestyle choices, such as being mindful of one's diet.

While more research is needed, increasing evidence shows that drinking coffee may contribute to healthy aging

Medical News Today takes a look at three of the latest studies we reviewed to look at the role of coffee and how it can benefit healthy aging.

Serious mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are associated with accelerated biological aging. This describes a condition in which physical decline occurs faster than a person's chronological age.

Health professionals can measure this using cellular markers, and people with advanced biological age are at increased risk of age-related diseases, cognitive decline and early death.

A study published in November 2025 in the journal BMJ Mental Health shows that consuming 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day can slow the premature aging commonly associated with people with major mental disorders.

Studies have shown that people aged 18 to 65 with major mental disorders who drink 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day live longer.

It describes the repetitive DNA sequence that protects the ends of chromosomes. Protected from damage, telomere length shortens with age. This makes it an excellent cell marker for measuring biological age.

Telomere length in these moderate coffee drinkers is generally comparable to that of people biologically younger than 5 years.

In contrast, participants who did not consume coffee had shorter telomere lengths than those who drank the recommended number of cups per day.People who drank four or more cups of coffee a day did not have longer telomeres.

This effect may be due to coffee's antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances that protect cells from oxidative stress, which is the trigger for telomere shortening.

Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, a registered dietitian who specializes in cardiovascular disease and was not involved in the study, explained to MNT:

"Coffee contains bioactive compounds, especially chlorogenic acid (CGA) and trigoneline which act as antioxidants, neutralizing free radicals and activating cellular defense pathways to protect DNA from oxidative damage. CGA and trigoneline likely slow telomere shortening by reducing oxidative stress."

However, it is important to note that this is a cross-sectional study using data from participants with schizophrenia in Norway.Therefore, it is based on self-reported coffee consumption and the causal relationship cannot be confirmed.

A review published in Nutrition in August 2025 also highlights the potential health benefits of moderate daily coffee consumption.

Studies consistently link coffee consumption to reduced mortality and, for most people, a reduced risk of major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, cognitive impairment and respiratory disease, researchers say.

Interestingly, the study suggests that consuming three to five cups of coffee daily is associated with a lower risk of death and a lower risk of developing serious illnesses.

A lower overall mortality risk was seen at around 3.5 cups per day, and both regular and caffeinated coffee showed these associations.

Finenan kanger's writer, md, phd, crashes, indicates large amounts of evaluate for MNT:

"Decades of quality research on millions of people have shown that coffee is beneficial for overall health. Moderate coffee consumption, typically 3 to 5 cups a day, is associated with increased longevity and reduced risk of many major diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, respiratory disease, and cognitive decline."

The authors suggest that compounds such as polyphenols in coffee can help improve glucose metabolism, reduce chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, and that late-night meals are beneficial for metabolic health.

However, the evidence comes from observational studies.Therefore, it is not proven that coffee directly causes these health benefits.

Although more research is needed, Kamangar said, it's possible that doctors' coffee recommendations will change.

“For doctors, the message is clear: for most adults, moderate coffee consumption can be encouraged as part of a healthy lifestyle,” he told us.

"However, there may be caveats," cautioned Kamenger."Adding sugar and cream can interfere with some of the protective effects of coffee, which suggests that black coffee or versions with less sugar may be better. For good results: contact your doctor and meet your body."

While the potential benefits of drinking coffee may apply to many people, more research is needed to identify which people will benefit the most or should be careful.

Research shared at the Nutrition 2025 conference and published in Current Developments in Nutrition suggests that regular coffee consumption may help with healthy aging.especially in women

The researchers used data from the Nurses' Health Study, which included nearly 47,513 women who were followed for decades.For the purpose of the analysis, the authors defined healthy aging as coming later in life without major chronic diseases, physical disabilities, cognitive or memory problems, healthy mental health, and functional limitations.

The findings suggest that increased caffeine intake, mostly from regular decaffeinated coffee, is associated with increased healthy aging.

Study author Sara Mahdavi, B.Sc., B.Sc., MD, M.Sc., Ph.D., doctoral student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University and adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, Canada, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Food Sciences, highlighted the following research findings to MNT:

"We found that moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee in middle age is associated with moderate aging later, unknown mental health. Cleaned and survives not only to lower intake and differences in bioactive content.

However, the authors note that the findings are from observational data and the cohort was limited to mostly white women.This means the results may not generalize to other groups.

In addition, other information such as the type of coffee, supplements and changes in consumption over time have not been studied in depth.

While study results have noted potential benefits of coffee, it is still recommended to consult a doctor regarding how caffeine may interact with any medications, or affect any underlying conditions.

Mahdavi offered the following suggestions: "Coffee is not universally beneficial. Caffeine metabolism is based on genetic and hormonal factors, such as estrogen, which reduce caffeine clearance."

"Our previous research has shown that women with slower caffeine metabolism (due to genetic variation in the CYP1A2 gene) may not benefit from high caffeine intake and may be more susceptible to side effects. Personalized nutrition – taking into account both gender and genetic differences – will be key in future recommendations."