A specialist on the world’s ‘Blue Zones’ has shed light on a surprising beverage that may ‘help you live longer’. Dan Buettner, aged 64, is a seasoned explorer of six regions where people are reportedly more likely to live to 100 years compared to the US average.
Taking to TikTok (@danbuettner), he argued that a very popular drink is one of ‘greatest longevity beverages out there’ – especially if you drink it before noon. “I think one of the greatest longevity beverages out there is coffee, but I think one of the most important secrets to drinking it and living longer is to drink it before noon,” he explained.
“If you drink your cup of coffee or two before noon, it actually lowers your chance of cardiovascular disease. Whereas, if you are drinking your coffee [in the] afternoon or in the evening, it doesn’t seem to do that. Plus, if you are drinking coffee too late in the day, it may interrupt your sleep. [And] bad sleep equals shorter life.”
Dan Buettner’s commentary aligns with recent findings from the European Heart Journal, which analysed over 40,000 adults to unpack the effects of coffee consumption at varying times of day. Approximately 36% of participants drank coffee in the morning, 16% drank it throughout the day and 48% were not coffee drinkers.
Remarkably, morning drinkers were 31% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease and 16% less likely to die from any cause. However, this wasn’t the same for all-day and non-coffee drinkers, with no risk reduction noted.
Amidst these findings, Dr Lu Qi, its lead author at Tulane University, said in last month: “This is the first study testing coffee drinking timing patterns and health outcomes. Our findings indicate that it’s not just whether you drink coffee or how much you drink, but the time of day when you drink coffee that’s important.
“We don’t typically give advice about timing in our dietary guidance, but perhaps we should be thinking about this in the future…This study doesn’t tell us why drinking coffee in the morning reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
“A possible explanation is that consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt circadian rhythms and levels of hormones such as melatonin. This, in turn, leads to changes in cardiovascular risk factors such as inflammation and blood pressure.
“Further studies are needed to validate our findings in other populations, and we need clinical trials to test the potential impact of changing the time of day when people drink coffee.”
In addition to morning coffee habits, Dan advises against typical ‘Western breakfast’ ingredients, like bacon and granola, recommending instead a hearty bowl of minestrone – the classic thick Italian soup.
In another TikTok, he shared: “So, I’m going to talk about a Blue Zone breakfast – what should you eat if you want to live to 100?”, he said in 2021. “Take a cue from the world’s longest-lived men, everyday of their life in most Blue Zone villages they are eating a Sardinian minestrone, which I eat every single day.
“This is three beans and barley, you can buy those too it’s a whole protein, plus about 20 different varieties of fibre which your microbiome will love. And then, of course, make sure to top that breakfast off with some good black coffee. Biggest source of antioxidants in the American diet right here in coffee and, don’t forget, call your mother.”