June 3, 2025 – Since Harvard University has been in the national hot seat lately, one may wonder what medical research breakthroughs happen at Harvard? Recently, researchers of the 30-year study concluded that a daily coffee habit (between one-and-one-half and two-and-a-half large-sized cups per day*) could supplement other healthy behaviors of a good diet and exercise in defending against rapid aging, staying both mentally sharp and physically strong later in life. These findings came from a Nurses’ Health Study that followed nearly 50,000 women working in health-related fields. Dr. Mahdavi Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, recently presented the findings at the NUTRITION 25 conference held in Orlando, FL.
A Definition of Healthy Aging
For this study, Dr. Mahdavi defines “Healthy Aging” as living to age 70 or older, being free from eleven major chronic diseases, maintaining physical function, having good mental health, exhibiting no cognitive impairment and having no memory complaints.
Does Caffeinated Coffee have the Best Health Effects Based on This Study?
Caffeine is broadly used in beverages including sodas and teas. There are also decaffeinated beverages including coffee. However, according to Dr. Mahdavi, none compare to the health benefits of regular caffeinated coffee. Coffee is a known “vasodilator” which causes blood vessels to widen for better circulation. Also, Dr. Mahdavi states that caffeinated coffee’s unique combination of bioactive compounds may play a key role in anti-aging. The bioactive compounds are known antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules including chlorogenic acids, trigonelline, diterpenes, and melanoidins. Perhaps manufacturing processes of both decaffeinated beverages and sodas lower concentrations of these same bioactive compounds plus high-levels of sugar in sodas may actually counteract against any longevity benefits.
For More Perk in Your Coffee
We love making our caffeinated BioCoffee (including wheatgrass as an ingredient) with Watt-Ahh. For more zip in your coffee, try using Watt-Ahh and you also will taste the delicious difference too.
* Dr. Mahdavi recommends lower coffee consumption for those individuals with either caffeine intolerance or specific genetic susceptibility to side effects caused by consuming caffeinated beverages.
Photo credit: https://www.drsaramahdavi.com/