Study Finds Water, Coffee, and Tea Contribute to Longevity

Researchers found that drinking a balance of coffee and tea was associated with the lowest risk of cancer mortality, heart disease death, respiratory disease mortality and digestive disease mortality.

Juliette Fairley

Published: 11/16/2025, 10:59:56 PM EST

Study Finds Water, Coffee, and Tea Contribute to Longevity — A cup of espresso is made at The Conservatory for Coffee, Tea, & Cocoa, a family-owned roasting coffeehouse in Culver City, Calif., on Sept. 8, 2010. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Drink up ... scientists have discovered that hydration with water, coffee, and tea can result in a longer life.

The study, "Relative Associations of Coffee, Tea and Plain Water with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: a prospective cohort study," published in the British Journal of Nutrition on Oct. 1, found there was a lower mortality risk associated with consuming up to eight drinks per day.

“When the total intake was greater than 4 drinks per day, substituting plain water with coffee or tea was linked to reduced mortality,” the study states. “Nevertheless, the benefit was not seen for less than or equal to 4 drinks daily.”

Study authors did not respond to requests for comment.

The data was based on some 182,770 participants in the United Kingdom who documented their intake of coffee, tea, and plain water in multiple 24-hour questionnaires through UK Biobank, and the researchers analyzed data from some 13 years while recording disease or deaths for participants during that time.

Registered dietitian nutritionist and Welzo.com medical advisor Dr. Kezia Joy was surprised that the health benefits were not specifically related to plain water.

“It’s nice to see that moderate use of coffee and tea appeared to have no negative impact on hydration status,” Joy told NTD. “This supports that coffee and tea could be part of an overall well-planned fluid balance plan when used moderately.”

The study further found that compared to other combinations, drinking a balance of coffee and tea was associated with the lowest risk of death from cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, and digestive disease.

“These results highlight the importance of the rational combination of coffee, tea, and plain water, with particular emphasis on ensuring adequate total intake, offering more comprehensive and explicit guidance for individuals,” the research paper states.

Healthy hydration varies from one person to the next, according to the Mayo Clinic website, which advises monitoring liquid intake through the color of urine in the morning.

Lemon-colored urine is a sign of appropriate hydration, while urine the color of apple juice indicates dehydration.

“This research offers a precedent for how we can broaden our definition of healthy hydration," Joy said.

General adequate hydration, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, is 125 to 130 ounces of fluid for men and 91 to 95 ounces for women. However, it varies according to the amount of physical activity, the weather, health status, and body size.

While most beverages will help with hydration, Joy noted that drinks vary greatly in their overall nutritional value.

"Beverages that have a high amount of added sugar and/or artificial ingredients may provide hydration for the moment, but they do not promote much long-term health benefit," Joy said.