Filtered Coffee Linked to Slower Biological Aging, Instant Coffee Shows Opposite Effect: Study
The type of coffee you drink every day may be linked to how quickly your body ages, according to a new study published in npj Science of Food.
Researchers found that filtered coffee was linked to healthier biological aging, while instant coffee was linked to slightly faster aging. However, they stress that the study does not prove coffee causes these changes—it only shows a connection.
The study analyzed data from 49,414 adults in the UK Biobank, with an average age of 56 years. Researchers looked at how much filtered and instant coffee people drank and compared it with three markers of biological aging, including telomere length, which is a marker of how healthy and "young" our cells are.
The results showed that people who regularly drank filtered coffee generally had longer telomeres and lower biological age scores, suggesting their bodies may be aging more slowly.
In contrast, people who drank instant coffee tended to have shorter telomeres and higher biological age scores, suggesting faster biological aging.
The link between instant coffee and faster aging was strongest in men, people aged 60 and older, and current smokers, especially those who drank more than three cups a day.
Researchers also found that certain substances in the body, including GlycA, cystatin C, and basal metabolic rate (BMR), may help explain the relationship between coffee type and aging.
However, the researchers caution that this was an observational study, so it cannot prove that filtered coffee slows aging or that instant coffee speeds it up. Other lifestyle habits, such as diet, exercise, or smoking, may also have influenced the results.
Overall, the findings suggest that filtered coffee may be a healthier choice than instant coffee when it comes to biological aging, but more long-term studies are needed before doctors can make any recommendations.
REFERENCE: Wang, Y., Xiang, P., Liu, Z., et al. (2026). Discrepancies between instant and filtered coffee in biological aging: evidence from the UK Biobank. npj Science of Food. DOI: 10.1038/s41538-026-00988-0. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-026-00988-0
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