Theres good news for those who drink their coffee in the morning hours and ditch it before noon. Morning coffee-drinkers may have a lower risk of death than both those who drink coffee throughout the day, and those who dont drink it at all.In a new study, published Tuesday in the European Heart Journal, drinking coffee in the morning showed huge benefits when it came to lowering rates of mortality. This is the first study testing coffee drinking timing patterns and health outcomes, said lead author Dr. Lu Qi, HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and professor at Tulane Universitys Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, in a news release. We dont typically give advice about timing in our dietary guidance, but perhaps we should be thinking about this in the future.The 10-year study examined health data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 1999 to 2018 for 40,725 adults, as well as data from a subgroup of 1,463 adults from both the womens and mens versions of the Lifestyle Validation Study. In the data, two patterns emerged when it came to routine coffee consumption: 36% of participants were morning coffee-drinkers and 14% drank it throughout the day. The study also recorded death rates in a follow up, where 4295 all-cause deaths, 1268 deaths from cardiovascular disease, as well as 934 deaths from cancer were reported.Stunningly, the report showed big links between how coffee habits may contribute to a lower risk of premature death (it didnt matter if the coffee was regular or decaffeinated). By far, it was the morning coffee-drinkersnot the non-coffee drinkerswho fared the best on mortality. Having coffee only in the morning was associated with a 16% lower risk of premature death for any reason. For cardiovascular health, the gains were even bigger for the morning coffee-drinkers, who had a 31% lower risk from cardiovascular disease. The reduction in mortality was not demonstrated for the all-day coffee drinkers.The research is not the first on coffees perceived benefits. Past studies have demonstrated that moderate coffee consumption may be good for cardiovascular health. However, the new study is the first to examine what role the timing of drinking coffee plays. The report speculated that there may be several reasons why timing matters, and specifically, why the morning coffee-drinkers may have thrived, the first being that consuming coffee later in the day may disrupt circadian rhythms, increasing stress, cardiovascular risk, and other factors relating to poor sleep. Secondly, it noted that some pro-inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory markers in the blood also have internal circadian patterns, where they are typically highest in the morning and then gradually decline until reaching their lowest level around 5 p.m. Essentially, coffees anti-inflammatory effects could be most valuable in the morning hours, it explained.Still, researchers noted that a morning coffee habit could be one marker of a healthy lifestyle among many. For example, morning-type coffee drinkers may be more willing to exercise and eat non-ultra-processed foods, the team noted. The report also explained that the study was performed within the U.S., therefore its not clear if its findings pertain to other parts of the world with different cultures related to coffee drinking.More research may be needed to explain the why?, but either way, the results are so positive for the morning coffee-drinkers, theyre likely to put some extra pep in the groups stepstraight through their coffee-free afternoons.