As 2025 comes to an end, I've been thinking about my New Year's resolutions for 2026. I was batting around the idea of trying to quit drinking coffee, ostensibly to improve my overall long-term health. But then I ran across an article from the June 2025 New York Times that summarizes a recent study linking coffee consumption to longer lives and lower risks of certain chronic diseases. Though the study had limitations, it is bolstered by other research indicating that coffee consumption is actually beneficial to health. 

The study followed more than 47,000 female nurses beginning in the 1970s. Every few years, the women answered questions about their diets, including how much coffee, tea and cola (like Coca-Cola or Pepsi) they drank. The scientists then looked at how many of the women were still alive and met their definition of “healthy aging” in 2016. Over 3,700 women met the criteria: they were 70 or older; reported good physical and mental health, had no cognitive impairment or memory problems; and were free of 11 chronic diseases such as cancer, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. The researchers found a correlation between how much caffeine the women typically drank (which was mostly from coffee) when they were between 45 and 60 years old and their likelihood of healthy aging. Those who consumed the most caffeine (equivalent to nearly seven eight-ounce cups of coffee per day) had odds of healthy aging that were 13% higher than those who consumed the least caffeine (equivalent to less than one cup per day).

Being a regular coffee drinker (usually 2-3 cups per day), I was encouraged by these findings. I'll keep drinking coffee in 2026 and look for a different New Year's resolution.