Health
Daily coffee drinking linked to major health benefit in women as they age, study finds
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A popular morning beverage could do more than provide a perk. It could also help women stay healthy as they age.
That’s according to new research from Harvard University, which followed a group of nearly 50,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study for a 30-year period.
The researchers found that drinking coffee every morning could help women stay mentally sharp and physically strong later in life, according to a press release from the American Society of Nutrition.
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The benefits were seen in middle-aged women who drank caffeinated coffee. Decaf coffee and tea did not have the same effect.
“‘Healthy aging’ here meant surviving to older age without major chronic diseases and with good physical, mental and cognitive function,” Sara Mahdavi, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, told Fox News Digital.
Drinking coffee every morning could help women stay mentally sharp and physically strong later in life, according to a new study. (iStock)
“Importantly, this relationship persisted even after accounting for key lifestyle factors like diet quality, physical activity and smoking — each of which are also strongly associated with healthy aging in their own right.”
The women who qualified as “healthy agers” were found to consume an average of 315 mg of caffeine daily, primarily via coffee-drinking.
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Each additional cup of coffee was linked to a 2% to 5% greater chance of healthier aging, the study found.
Although soda also contains caffeine, people who drank it every day were shown to have a 20% to 26% reduced chance of healthy aging.
The women who qualified as “healthy agers” were found to consume an average of 315 mg of caffeine daily, mostly from drinking coffee. (iStock)
“The health benefits appeared specific to coffee, rather than caffeine more broadly,” Mahdavi noted.
“We didn’t see the same associations with decaf coffee, tea or caffeinated soda — suggesting that coffee’s unique combination of bioactive compounds may play a key role.”
The findings were set to be presented on Monday at NUTRITION 2025, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition held in Orlando.
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“While past studies have linked coffee to individual health outcomes, our study is the first to assess coffee’s impact across multiple domains of aging over three decades,” said Mahdavi.
“The findings suggest that caffeinated coffee … may uniquely support aging trajectories that preserve both mental and physical function.”
“The health benefits appeared specific to coffee, rather than caffeine more broadly.”
The researcher acknowledged that the study has some limitations.
“As with all observational studies, we cannot establish causality,” she told Fox News Digital. “While we adjusted for many factors, unmeasured confounding is always possible.”
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Mahdavi also pointed out that the study group mostly included white, educated female health professionals.
“Further work is needed to confirm generalizability to broader populations.”
“Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors, such as regular exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding smoking.” (iStock)
Coffee’s benefits are “relatively modest” compared to the benefits of overall healthy lifestyle habits, according to the researcher.
“These results, while preliminary, suggest that small, consistent habits can shape long‑term health,” said Mahdavi. “Moderate coffee intake may offer some protective benefits when combined with other healthy behaviors, such as regular exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding smoking.”
“We don’t recommend starting coffee if you don’t already drink it or if you’re sensitive to caffeine,” she went on.
“But for people who already consume moderate amounts — typically two to four cups per day — this study adds to the evidence that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle.”
“The findings suggest that caffeinated coffee … may uniquely support aging trajectories that preserve both mental and physical function,” the researcher said. (iStock)
Mahdavi emphasized, however, that nutrition, regular exercise and not smoking are the “most powerful and proven contributors” to healthy aging.
The team is now planning to explore how coffee’s bioactive compounds — particularly polyphenols and antioxidants — might influence molecular aging pathways, including inflammation, metabolism and vascular health, Mahdavi said.
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“Genetic and hormonal differences may also shape how individuals respond, which could pave the way for more personalized guidance in the future.”
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
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