Coffee in the morning is a ritual for many people — but is it ever too early in the a.m. to indulge?

Brewing a cup or a pot of coffee as soon as you wake up might not give you the biggest energy boost throughout the day, according to sleep experts. 

Dr. Deborah Lee, a U.K.-based doctor, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that drinking coffee first thing in the morning might not be the best bet. 

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“When you wake up, your stress hormone cortisol level, which is a hormone that enhances alertness and focus, as well as regulates your metabolism and immune system response, is at its peak,” said Lee, who works with bed manufacturer Get Laid Beds.

“Elevated levels of cortisol may impact your immune system, and if they’re already at their peak when waking up, drinking coffee as soon as your eyes open may do more harm than good, and may even make you immune to caffeine over a long period of time,” Lee added.

Cortisol follows a rhythm “specific to your own sleeping cycle,” the expert said, peaking within 30 to 45 minutes of waking up and slowly declining throughout the day.

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“That explains why you may peak in the morning and get more tired at night,” she noted.

Taking this rhythm into consideration, Lee suggested that the best time to have caffeine would be at least 45 minutes after waking up, when “your cortisol rhythm starts to dip.”

Coffee consumption and energy levels are dependent on a person’s caffeine tolerance, said a sleep expert. (iStock)

“The best time to drink coffee would typically be mid-to-late morning, when your cortisol is a lot lower and you start to feel that energy slump,” she said. 

“But of course, not too late in the afternoon — as it could affect your sleep.”

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Someone who wakes up at around 7 a.m., for example, might wait until around 10 a.m. or noon to have the first cup of coffee, “when your body and mind will appreciate it the most, and you’ll get the most benefits from the caffeine,” Lee said.

A different take 

Dr. Wendy Troxel, a Utah-based sleep expert and senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, had a different take on the matter. Delaying caffeine might not actually make a difference, she told Fox News Digital.

“There really is no scientific evidence that having caffeine first thing in the morning versus delaying it for a couple of hours after awakening has any differential effects on alertness,” she said. 

Dr. Wendy Troxel, senior behavioral scientist of the RAND Corporation and author of “Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep,” offered her input on the timing of coffee consumption. (Diane Baldwin)

Troxel suggested that coffee drinkers should experiment with what works best for them.

“For some people, waking up and having a glass of water to rehydrate and then having coffee works well — but for others, the morning ritual of having a cup of coffee first thing upon awakening is just too good to give up,” she said. 

“So, I think it’s mostly a matter of personal preference.”

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Since caffeine works by “blocking sleep-promoting receptors in your brain called adenosine receptors,” Lee said that people who drink coffee too late in the day may struggle to sleep at night.

“However, this is different for different people, and only you know your own caffeine tolerance,” she said.

The average half-life of caffeine is around six hours, according to Troxel, but it can remain in the body for up to 10 hours.

Drinking coffee too late in the day can lead to sleep disruptions, experts warned. (iStock)

“Given that caffeine is a stimulant, it can powerfully disrupt sleep if consumed too late in the day,” she said. 

To reduce the likelihood of disrupted sleep, Lee recommended avoiding it within eight hours of bedtime. 

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“That means if your bedtime is 10 p.m., you should consume caffeine no later than 2 p.m. — but if you’re someone who is strongly affected by caffeine, you want to back that time up even earlier,” she said.

Coffee in moderation can help with increased alertness, energy and better concentration, according to experts. (iStock)

“Try switching to herbal teas if you need a hot drink to stay warm, or decaf to trick yourself into thinking you’re getting your caffeine fix,” she suggested.

Troxel mentioned that there is “substantial evidence” that drinking coffee earlier in the day and in moderation — about one to two cups per day — is associated with “increased alertness and energy, better concentration, better performance and reduced risk of certain chronic diseases.”

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“However, excessive amounts of coffee, or coffee (and other caffeinated products) consumed later in the day can lead to negative side effects, including anxiety, jitters, rapid heart rate and insomnia,” Troxel added.

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Older adults in the U.S. should get another COVID-19 booster even if they received one in the fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The guidance was released on Wednesday from Mandy Cohen, CDC director, and the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

The agency recommended that adults ages 65 years and older receive “an additional updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine dose” due to an “increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19 in older adults,” as stated in the announcement.

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Those who are immunocompromised are also eligible for an additional booster, as announced in October 2023.

“Today’s recommendation allows older adults to receive an additional dose of this season’s COVID-19 vaccine to provide added protection,” said Cohen in a press release.

“Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older,” she added. 

“An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over time for those at highest risk.”

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Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, said the decision about whether to get an additional dose depends on the patient and the prevalence of the virus.

“I am certainly keeping an eye on my older patients in high-risk groups, especially those with chronic illnesses like diabetes, cancer, COPD and obesity — but this is not ‘one size fits all,’” he told Fox News Digital. 

“Most COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older,” said the CDC director in a statement. (iStock)

“The vaccine is a useful tool and it appears to be effective against the prevailing strains,” he added. 

“I would not be giving it routinely to all unless new evidence emerges that it is wearing off.”

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Dr. Jacob Glanville, a virology expert and founder of Centivax, a San Francisco pharmaceutical company, said the CDC’s advice is based on the much higher risk of death by COVID-19 in this age category, combined with the relatively low 51% efficacy of the vaccines against current mismatched circulating strains. 

As of Feb. 23, the share of adults 65 and over that have received the updated COVID vaccine was 41.8%, according to CDC data. (iStock)

“A boost can serve to increase the proportion of antibodies and T-cells that can still respond to a mismatch strain, and thus provide additional protection,” Glanville told Fox News Digital.

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As of Feb. 23, the share of adults 65 and over that have received the updated COVID vaccine was 41.8%, according to CDC data.

The compliance rate was 22.3% for adults 18 and over and 13.1% for children.

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A drug that has long been used to treat two common men’s health conditions could have some unexpected benefits.

Finasteride — more commonly known as Propecia or Proscar — has treated male pattern baldness and enlarged prostate in millions of men.

In a recent study, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have also linked the “miracle drug” to cholesterol-lowering effects and reduced heart disease risk.

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The findings, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, showed lower cholesterol levels among men who took the drug — on average, 30 points less than men who were not on the medication.

The data was initially collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2009 and 2016. 

Then, in a study of mice, use of the drug for 12 weeks — along with a high-fat, high-cholesterol “Western” diet — was linked to reduced cholesterol, slower buildup of plaque in the arteries, and reduced liver inflammation, among other benefits. 

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“The most surprising finding was the human data,” lead study author Jaume Amengual, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois, told Fox News Digital. 

“When we observed the association with finasteride and plasma lipids, we decided to do our mouse study.”

Drug’s benefits and side effects

As a hair loss treatment, finasteride works by blocking a protein found in hair follicles — and as an enlarged prostate treatment, the drug blocks the prostate gland that activates testosterone.

Atherosclerosis, which occurs when cholesterol plaques build up in the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, is most prevalent among men.

As a hair loss treatment, Finasteride works by blocking a protein found in hair follicles. (iStock)

Some experts have linked the male hormone testosterone to the heart condition.

The potential hormonal effect prompted the researchers to explore whether the medication could also reduce heart disease risk, Amengual said.

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Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the study but commented on the implications of finasteride.

“It stops testosterone from turning into dihydrotestosterone and thereby stops hair loss and also shrinks the prostate by 25%,” he said.

Side effects can include depression, anxiety and impotence, the doctor added.

In response to the drug being found to lower cholesterol and decrease heart disease risk, a doctor called for more research to confirm the findings. (iStock)

Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert who was also not involved in the study, offered his insights on the uses and risks associated with the drug.

“Finasteride in normal dosages – 1 to 5 mg daily, depending upon the indication – has intolerable side effects in many,” he said.

“Finasteride in normal dosages has intolerable side effects in many.”

The drug works by lowering levels of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in order to have the desired effect on the prostate gland and hair follicles, he said, “but it can also strip a man of his energy, virility, libido and motivation.”

Study limitations and next steps

The study did have some limitations, the researchers noted.

Out of nearly 4,800 total participants, only 155 were finasteride users, all of whom were men over 50. The survey also did not determine the duration or amount of the doses.

as an enlarged prostate treatment, finasteride blocks the prostate gland that activates testosterone. (iStock)

“We also did not examine the effects of finasteride in women or female mice,” Amengual said. 

“However, this drug is not prescribed for women, as it could be dangerous during pregnancy.”

“This drug could be another tool in the fight against cardiovascular diseases.”

The next step is to track cholesterol levels of patients taking finasteride or to launch a clinical trial to confirm the link.

“There is still so much to discover on how finasteride works in our body,” Amengual noted. “But based on our findings, this drug could be another tool in the fight against cardiovascular diseases.”

The drug works by lowering levels of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in order to have the desired effect on the prostate gland and hair follicles, which can cause side effects in some men, a doctor noted. (iStock)

In response to the drug being found to lower cholesterol and decrease heart disease risk, Siegel also called for more research.

“Much larger studies are needed in humans to confirm these findings before you would ever consider using this drug for cardioprevention,” he said.

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“It may end up being useful for this purpose in the elderly, who are at higher risk of heart attacks and strokes, as an add-on statin therapy.”

In addition to the study’s small size, Osborn noted that it was performed retrospectively — “meaning there was no control group(s), and that random effects, unbeknownst to the researchers, may have swayed the results in one direction,” he told Fox News Digital. 

Dr. Marc Siegel (left) and Dr. Brett Osborn (right) both shared insights on finasteride’s uses and side effects. (Dr. Marc Siegel/Dr. Brett Osborn)

“That said, the authors’ observations are interesting and demand further investigation,” Osborn went on. 

“After all, lipid-lowering agents are one of the mainstays of cardiovascular risk reduction — and most Americans die vascular deaths.”

This study doesn’t mean that every male should start taking finasteride, Osborn cautioned.

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Instead, he recommends getting regular exercise, increasing daily fiber intake to 25 grams and taking high doses of omega-3 fatty acids to reduce cardiovascular risk.

“For now, skip the finasteride as a lipid-lowering agent,” he advised. “As it stands now, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.”

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Could adopting a fasting-like diet help slow down aging?

That’s the claim of researchers from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology in Los Angeles, who led a study on the benefits of a “fasting-mimicking diet” (FMD).

In addition to reducing biological age and immune system aging, the diet was linked to reductions in insulin resistance and liver fat, according to a press release from the university.

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The findings, published in Nature Communications on Feb. 20, were based on clinical trials that included 100 men and women between 18 and 70 years old.

Half of the group was randomly assigned to the FMD, adhering to the diet for five days followed by 25 days of normal eating for three or four cycles.

The control group ate either a normal diet or a Mediterranean-style diet.

The people in the FMD group showed decreased abdominal and liver fat, as well as reduced risk of metabolic syndrome, which can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

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Those on the experimental diet also showed signs of a more youthful immune system.

Overall, the FMD adopters’ biological age was reduced by an average of 2.5 years based on the functioning of their cells and tissues, the researchers found.

In the USC study, the fasting-mimicking diet included energy bars, plant-based soups, chip snacks, energy drinks and tea. (iStock)

“I think it is surprising that three cycles of the FMD done for only five days a month (15 days total) — which allow people to have modified/low calorie but regular meals and without changing the normal diet of the participants for the rest of the month — can have such an effect on biological age, body fat and a range of disease risk factors,” senior author Valter Longo, USC Leonard Davis School Professor, told Fox News Digital.

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If the cycles were continued for three cycles a year for 20 years, Longo projected that the FMD could reduce biological age by 11 years and reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes by 10% to 30%. 

“However, these are only simulations — and additional studies are necessary to confirm this potential of the FMD cycles,” he added.

Half of the group was randomly assigned to the FMD, adhering to the diet for five days followed by 25 days of normal eating for three or four cycles. (iStock)

Prior studies in mice have identified additional benefits of the FMD, including reduced risk of age-related diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, Vongo pointed out.

The diet has been previously to reduced chemo side effects, greater stem cell regeneration and reduced signs of dementia, the release stated.

What is the fasting-mimicking diet?

Originally developed by Longo, the FMD is a five-day diet that is low in overall calories, protein and carbohydrates and high in unsaturated fat.

The eating plan is designed to mimic a pure fast while still allowing consumption of essential nutrients.

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“The fasting-mimicking diet (FMD), also known as the ProLon Diet, has been around for approximately seven years and has been studied in multiple clinical trials,” Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.

“By following a structured, very low-calorie nutrition plan for five days, the goal is to provide the benefits of a prolonged fast while still allowing individuals to eat,” said Palinski-Wade, who was not involved in the USC study.

“The diet is designed to transition the body into a fasting state while nourishing it with specific nutrients to avoid activating food-sensing pathways.”

“[The diet] allows for physical, biological and epigenetic benefits without the need for prolonged water-only fasts,” an expert said.  (iStock)

In the USC study, the fasting-mimicking diet included energy bars, plant-based soups, chip snacks, energy drinks and tea, according to the release. 

The FMD group also received a supplement with “high levels of minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids.”

The specific diet that was tested in the two trials is commercially available, but Longo said that university rules prevent him from sharing the name of the product.

“In an era obsessed with superficial youth and quick fixes, the fasting-mimicking diet offers a tangible method to systematically reverse aging and enhance metabolic health.”

“I think it is important to begin to consider the plant-based FMD intervention described here for two to three times a year as a way to prevent and treat some diseases, together with the right type of drugs,” Longo said. 

This could aid in “returning to full health and living longer and healthier, rather than continuing to take progressively more drugs as we age,” he added.

For people aiming to prevent or treat diseases through the use of an FMD, Longo said people should first talk to a doctor.

Other experts weigh in on the diet

Melanie Avalon, an Atlanta-based health influencer who hosts “The Intermittent Fasting Podcast,” was not involved in the study, but noted that the research provides “solid data” on how dietary and lifestyle changes affect the aging process.

“Our society’s fascination with youth and longevity is well-known; however, measuring progress and biological improvements is often subjective,” she told Fox News Digital. 

While fasting is often pursued for its visible weight loss benefits, an expert noted that this study highlights its extended benefits for metabolic health. (iStock)

“The concept of ‘chronological age’ can mislead when assessing the body’s aging rate and predicting lifespan,” Avalon went on. 

“For the first time, this study reveals that a fasting-mimicking diet can reduce one’s biological age.”

While traditional fasting can be daunting for some, FMD can be a more feasible alternative.

“It allows for physical, biological and epigenetic benefits without the need for prolonged water-only fasts,” she said. 

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While fasting is often pursued for its visible weight loss benefits, Avalon noted that this study highlights FMD’s extended benefits for metabolic health.

“In an era obsessed with superficial youth and quick fixes, the fasting-mimicking diet offers a tangible method to systematically reverse aging and enhance metabolic health,” she said.

“Unlike the costly and extreme measures of ‘biohacking,’ the FMD provides an accessible and practical solution to reduce biological age.”

Potential risks and limitations

Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, who practices as The Lupus Dietitian, cautioned that she would not recommend the fasting-mimicking diet to any person who has struggled with an eating disorder in the past or who has trouble controlling their blood sugar.

“Restricting and changing eating patterns may have negative effects,” she said. 

The fasting-mimicking diet could aid in “returning to full health and living longer and healthier, rather than continuing to take progressively more drugs as we age,” the study author said. (iStock)

Palinski-Wade agreed that those with underlying health conditions should speak to their physician before considering a restrictive diet plan. 

“A very low-calorie diet may not be appropriate for those with uncontrolled diabetes, a history of hypoglycemia, a history of disordered eating, or those who are pregnant or nursing,” she said.

Before making any dietary changes, Freirich stressed the need for “extensive education” to be provided.

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“While changing the timing and amount of our food intake is an approach worth examining, it is also important to remember to choose health-promoting foods daily,” the dietitian continued. 

“The food choices we make daily have a large impact on our weight, blood sugars, heart health, immune system and more. If fasting doesn’t feel like the right choice for you, speaking with a registered dietitian about the dietary changes for your health is always recommended.”

Before making any dietary changes, a nutritionist (not pictured) told Fox News Digital that people need “extensive education” to be provided. (iStock)

The study had some limitations, both dietitians noted.

“It was a small sample size of healthy young-ish individuals,” Freirich said. “The results may be helpful and useful for other people after more research is completed in a larger age range and including people with other medical concerns.”  

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Palinski-Wade reiterated that the studies on FMD have included smaller sample sizes of generally healthy adults, which means the results cannot be generalized to all populations.

“FMD may offer promising benefits and may be an excellent tool to consider for those looking to improve long-term health and reduce future disease risk, but more research is needed on larger and more diverse populations to fully understand the benefits it may offer,” she added.

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