Can coffee slow aging? New research says yes, but only if you drink the right amount

A few cups of coffee a day could play a small but surprising role in helping people with mental illness live healthier, longer lives — if consumed in moderation, according to a new study.

Researchers from King’s College London analyzed data from 436 adults and found that drinking up to four cups of coffee a day was associated with longer telomeres — protective caps on chromosomes that serve as markers of cellular aging — in people diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychotic depression. 

Those who drank three to four cups daily had telomeres consistent with a biological age about five years younger than participants who didn’t drink coffee at all, the researchers said.

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However, for those who drank more than four cups a day, the benefits disappeared, and they actually saw signs of more cellular stress, according to the findings, which were published in late November in BMJ Mental Health.

The apparent sweet spot aligns with guidance from health agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which generally recommends limiting caffeine to about 400 milligrams a day, or roughly four cups of coffee.

Scientists found that coffee may help counter accelerated aging in patients diagnosed with mental illness. (iStock)

Past studies in the general population have found mixed results, with some linking moderate coffee intake to longer telomeres, and others — especially those looking at instant coffee — finding no benefit.

“We know that coffee can help slow biological aging in the general population, but little is known about its effect on people with severe mental illness — a population whose lifespan is already shortened, in part due to age-related diseases,” lead author Vid Mlakar, a Ph.D. student at King’s College London, said in a press release statement.

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Telomeres naturally shorten with age, and the process appears to happen faster in people with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. 

They tend to die about 15 years earlier than the general population, often from age-related diseases like heart disease and cancer, the researchers noted.

The aging benefits peaked at three to four cups of coffee a day, the study found. (iStock)

Telomeres are also sensitive to oxidative stress and inflammation, which can both be ramped up in those with severe mental illness. The researchers believe that coffee’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds help shield cells from wear and tear. 

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“Coffee is a beverage that many people consume daily,” senior author Dr. Monica Aas, a research fellow at King’s College London, stated in the release. 

“On one hand, we know that excessive coffee consumption can have negative effects on health, such as reducing sleep quality. However, our new study suggests that coffee consumption up to a certain point may have benefits for biological aging.” 

Heavy caffeine use can worsen cellular stress for those with mental illness, according to the researchers.  (iStock)

While many life experiences are out of people’s control, coffee consumption is something we can “actively modify,” Aas added. “Studies such as this also support the idea that we should move away from viewing coffee as simply ‘good or bad,’ and instead consider a more balanced view.”

The study’s limitations

The authors stressed this was an observational study, meaning it cannot prove that coffee itself slows aging, but only establishes an association. 

Participants simply reported how many cups they drank a day, and the team didn’t know the type of coffee, cup size or how much caffeine they were getting from other sources, such as tea or energy drinks. 

Larger, long-term studies are needed to confirm whether coffee truly slows biological aging.

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The researchers also cautioned that excessive caffeine can trigger health issues like poor sleep, jitters and heart palpitations.

“Broadly, [the findings] align with prior research where coffee as a beverage often correlates with better aging-related biomarkers — while caffeine itself can show mixed associations,” Dr. Anoop Singh, a psychiatrist at Mindpath Health in San Francisco, told Fox News Digital.

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“The new question is whether this is a true biological effect, or a marker of functioning, sleep and routine,” added Singh, who was not involved in the research.

Long-term, high-quality studies are still needed to determine whether coffee truly slows biological aging. (iStock)

The expert referred to telomeres as a “noisy biomarker” — useful for spotting trends in large populations, such as smokers generally having shorter telomeres, but too variable to reliably interpret as a person’s individual “biological age.”

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Singh reiterated that the association between coffee intake and telomere length is notable, but not proof of cause, as many lifestyle factors and medical conditions could also influence the result.

Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.