Written By: Muskan Gupta | Published : January 13, 2026 9:45 AM IST
Coffee is more than just a morning pick-me-up for millions of people. Recent studies indicate that coffee, consumed in moderation each day, can actually be found to slow down the process of biological ageing by up to five years. Although it seems remarkable, researchers explain that the results contribute to the growing amount of evidence that suggests the relationship of coffee use to the increase in a healthy and long life.
The study was published in the BMJ Mental Health, using the sample of 436 individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMIs), including schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorder. Researchers did a study to determine the influence of coffee on their biological age, contrary to the chronological age (number of years you have lived).
The findings indicated that the mean biological age of the participants who consumed three to four cups of coffee per day was reduced by at most five years as compared to those who did not take coffee at all. Their cells were simply found to be younger, which would translate to their having a longer lifespan.
The benefits did not, however, continue to rise indefinitely. The positive effects started to level off and even started to decrease once the participants consumed five or more cups a day. The research also failed to indicate the mode of consumption of coffee, as the people either drank it black or with lots of cream and sugar.
Scientists determined the biological age instead of wrinkles or grey hair with a telomere length that was retrieved from the blood sample. According to Dr Gary Small, psychiatrist and director of behavioural health breakthrough therapies at Hackensack Meridian Health, it is stated that telomeres are protective caps at the ends of the chromosomes that protect our DNA as we divide the cells. The shorter telomeres correspond to accelerated ageing, increased susceptibility to diseases, and reduced life expectancy.
Dr David J. Fein, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at LSUHSC School of Medicine, contends that telomeres are extremely susceptible to oxidative stress and inflammation both of which are widespread among persons having severe mental illness. The longer the telomeres, the less the damage to the chromosomes and the slower the process of ageing in the cells.
They claim that the antioxidants make coffee have the potential to extend an older lifespan. Coffee is a source of plant compounds that contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. According to Dr Fein, these compounds aid in the process of lowering oxidative stress and inflammation that subsequently help preserve the length of telomeres. Oxidative stress can contribute to ageing, and therefore, since this is one of the leading causes of ageing, its reduction can delay the rate at which the body ages at a cellular level.
Dr Small proceeds to explain that many age-related diseases, like heart disease, cancer, and dementia, involve inflammation. Coffee can be used to prevent the risk of these conditions by decreasing inflammation. Metabolic health and less development of type 2 diabetes are also associated with coffee use.
Even caffeine itself can help in the process of slowing biological ageing. Dr Fein claims that caffeine has been linked to elongated telomeres since it is capable of raising the activity of some of the enzymes that help in maintaining the telomeres. Amongst these enzymes is TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is involved in the maintenance and repair of telomeres. The functionality of cells is extended in case telomeres are more secure.
Although the population targeted in this study is severely mentally ill, specialists think that the results may be applicable in the general population, albeit with some reservations. It may be that these results can be generalised more widely, but Dr Small says it is a big leap to make a direct generalisation. Consumption of a lot of coffee by humans, he also cautions, may have side effects of being addictive, sleeping difficulties, palpitations of the heart, acceleration of the heart rate, and stress hormones.
The U.S. FDA (2016) says you should not consume more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is approximately two to three 12-ounce cups of the coffee beverage. This is a bit less than the one that was taken by those individuals who were the most beneficial participants in the research.
It is also noteworthy to mention that black coffee is associated with most of the health benefits of coffee. Consumption of excess sugar, cream, and flavoured syrups will decrease its effectiveness and even damage metabolic health.
It has been shown that consuming three to four cups of coffee a day can slow the process of biological ageing by preventing telomeres, alleviating inflammation, and decreasing oxidative stress. Things, however, are not always better, and moderation is important. To the majority of community members, the ability to have several cups of black coffee a day, without being a caffeine addict, might be a simple method to sustain long-term health and healthy ageing.
