Your daily dose of black coffee might be doing more than waking you up — it could be quietly adding years to your life.
Key Points at a Glance
- 1–2 cups of black coffee daily linked to 14–17% lower risk of death
- Health benefits diminish with added sugar and saturated fat
- Study based on data from over 46,000 American adults over two decades
- Supports dietary guidelines to limit sugar and saturated fat
For millions of people, coffee is a morning ritual. Now, science suggests that choosing to skip the cream and sugar may offer more than just a leaner cup — it could lower your risk of death.
In a landmark study published in The Journal of Nutrition, researchers from Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy found that people who regularly drink black coffee have a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality. Those who drank their coffee without high levels of sweeteners or saturated fat saw up to a 17% reduction in death risk.
The findings are based on data from nearly 46,000 U.S. adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2018. The study linked dietary data with mortality records, revealing that the benefits of coffee — long believed to stem from its antioxidants and bioactive compounds — are tempered when unhealthy additives are introduced.
“Coffee is among the most-consumed beverages in the world,” said Fang Fang Zhang, senior author of the study. “Our results suggest that the addition of sugar and saturated fat may reduce the mortality benefits.” In short: how you drink your coffee matters.
The research categorized coffee types based on whether they were caffeinated or decaffeinated, and how much sugar and fat they contained. A standard 8-ounce cup with under 2.5 grams of sugar and less than 1 gram of saturated fat was deemed low in additives. Benefits peaked at 2–3 cups a day, with diminishing returns beyond that.
The results align closely with current dietary guidelines recommending limits on added sugar and saturated fats — found in ingredients like cream, half-and-half, and syrups often added to coffee.
Interestingly, decaf coffee didn’t show the same mortality benefits — possibly due to lower consumption rates — and no significant links were found between coffee and reduced cancer mortality. Still, cardiovascular-related benefits were strongest among moderate drinkers of black or lightly dressed coffee.
Lead author Bingjie Zhou noted this study is one of the first to quantify the impact of common coffee additives on health outcomes. “Our results are observational, but they show a compelling pattern,” Zhou said.
With coffee being a cornerstone of daily life for half of American adults, these insights could inspire a small but meaningful change in habit. So tomorrow morning, before you reach for the cream and sugar, you might want to consider going pure. Your heart — and lifespan — may thank you.
Source: Tufts University
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