Your daily cup of coffee might offer more than just a morning pick-me-up; it could actually influence how well you age. A new study, done by researchers in the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, involving nearly 50,000 women, investigated the long-term effects of drinking tea, coffee, and cola. The research found that coffee, specifically caffeinated coffee, can positively impact women's mental and physical health as they get older.

How Coffee Might Help Older Women

Researchers discovered that drinking coffee regularly could help women stay mentally sharp, physically strong, and generally well as they age. But, these good effects were only seen with coffee that had caffeine. People who drank decaf coffee didn't get the same benefits, and neither did tea drinkers. Even worse, the study found that women who drank soda had a "much lower chance of aging healthily."

Researchers said that while past studies linked coffee to certain health outcomes, her study is the first to look at how coffee affects many parts of aging over 30 years. She added that the findings suggest caffeinated coffee, unlike tea or decaf, might uniquely help people age in a way that keeps both their mental and physical abilities strong. These results were shared at a big meeting for nutrition experts.

What the Study Looked At

Researchers said that study was strong because it included many people and followed them for 30 years. They also looked at different ways people age well and collected lots of details about their eating and lifestyle habits every four years.

The researchers looked at information from nearly 47,513 women who were part of a long-term health study since 1984. They figured out how much caffeine these women consumed by asking about their intake of common caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, soda, and decaf coffee.

They defined "healthy aging" as living to age 70 or older, not having 11 major long-term diseases, being able to move well, having good mental health, not having thinking problems, and not complaining about memory issues. After 30 years, the team estimated how the chance of healthy aging changed for every 80 mg of caffeine (about one small cup of coffee) that people drank daily.

They also looked at specific drinks. Their early analysis also considered other things that could affect healthy aging, such as body weight, smoking, drinking alcohol, physical activity, education level, and how much protein was in their diet. The data showed that by 2016, 3,706 of the women met all the requirements for healthy aging. In their middle age (45-60), these women typically drank about 315 mg of caffeine per day. This is roughly the amount in three small cups of coffee or one and a half large cups by today's standards. More than 80% of that caffeine came from regular coffee.

Regular Coffee vs. Other Drinks

For the women who aged healthily, each extra cup of regular coffee per day was linked to a 2% to 5% higher chance of doing well in later life. This benefit went up to about five small cups of coffee per day (or about 2.5 cups using today's sizes). The scientists found no clear link between drinking decaf coffee or tea and a higher chance of healthy aging. However, every extra small glass of soda was linked to a 20% to 26% lower chance of healthy aging. This shows that not all caffeine sources are good for you.

A new study suggests that people who undergo weight-loss surgery experience better mental health, but not because of the pounds they shed. Instead, the major factor appears to be a significant drop in the societal judgment and bias (stigma) they face due to their weight. This finding was recently published in the journal Health Psychology.

How Being Judged Affects Our Mental And Physical Health

Being judged and treated unfairly because of one's weight actually causes many of the physical and mental health problems that people with obesity face. The study found that when people felt less judged after their surgery, they started to have healthier eating habits and felt better mentally. But if they kept feeling judged even after surgery, they had a higher chance of feeling sad, worried, or developing eating problems.

For the study, researchers looked at the mental well-being and habits of nearly 150 people before their weight-loss surgery and then again 18 to 36 months later. What they found was that, generally, people felt much less shame, blame, and guilt about their body size in the years after surgery.

The amount that this feeling of being judged went down was very impressive. It was a bigger change than what doctors usually consider meaningful for someone's life and how they feel. This big drop in feeling judged was directly connected to people feeling less worried, less sad, and having fewer eating issues like overeating.

Why Feeling Accepted Matters More Than Just Losing Weight

The study also showed that losing weight itself wasn't strongly linked to feeling better mentally. This suggests that how other people treat individuals with a lot of weight, rather than just the extra weight itself, has a huge impact on their mental and physical health.

About 40% of the people in the study still faced problems with weight-related judgment, and these ongoing issues made them more likely to have mental health concerns. The researchers believe that while losing weight helps in many ways, this change in how society treats people might be even more powerful for their mental health and overall quality of life over time.

Weight-Loss Surgery and Mental Health

Published in the StatPearls medical journal, a 2024 article explained that while weight-loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery is a common as a way to treat obesity, it also has many complications one must consider. It's also important to understand that it can bring some mental health challenges. Patients might feel unhappy if they don't lose as much weight as they hoped, which can make any emotional difficulties worse.

After weight-loss surgery, some common mental health problems that can arise include depression, anxiety, and worsening of existing eating disorders. Patients might also develop new eating habits or switch addictions (for example, from food to alcohol or gambling). In rare cases, more severe issues like psychotic disorders or, very notably, an increased risk of suicide, can occur.

More Studies Are Needed

It's worth noting that all the people in this study were treated at one specific hospital. The researchers think it's important to do more studies with people from different areas to be sure these findings are true for everyone.

It began with a supplement and a promise, somewhere between TikTok wellness influencers, Bryan Johnson's age-hacking rituals, and shelf after shelf of taurine-charged energy drinks at your corner store, a straightforward question started generating buzz in the longevity sphere: Might taurine be the key to remaining young?

For biohackers, taurine became a superstar. Praised for its ability to enhance energy, enhance exercise performance, and even counteract age-related decline, this naturally occurring amino acid—found in meats, seafood, and yes, many energy drinks—was being touted as a possible "youth molecule." It was riding high on the popularity charts after a study in 2023 suggested that taurine supplementation could slow aging in animals. The implication? Maybe we're one step closer to unlocking the secret of human longevity.

A fresh and more comprehensive investigation has come forward to contradict such previous assertions, positing that taurine levels don't decline with age after all. In fact, they can stay the same—or even increase—well into adulthood. This has left health fans and scientists alike wondering: Have we been running after a false assumption all these years?

Before you add taurine to your anti-aging toolkit, it's time to go deep on what the science actually reveals. Is taurine really a secret to healthy aging—or just the latest in a series of overblown supplements?

While the quest to crack the code of longevity picks up speed around the world, taurine — a natural amino acid present in the body and in foods with high protein content — has been making waves as a possible anti-aging serum. From the labels of energy drinks to the regimes of biohackers, taurine is being touted as a molecule that promises to add years to your life and health to your years.

What is Taurine?

Taurine is not among the nine essential amino acids but plays an important role in a multitude of physiological processes. Taurine is present in the brain, heart, retina, and skeletal muscles and is involved in the formation of bile salts, fluid balance, nerve function, and antioxidant protection. It is produced by the body and also found in meat and shellfish, which are animal-based foods. It has become popular in the world of wellness over the years for its supposed benefits in increasing energy, improving cardiovascular function, and lowering inflammation.

Both energy drinks and certain supplements usually include taurine for its reported value in improved exercise function and clearer thinking. Although it is widely used, it has been largely agreed upon what the best level of taurine should be, and no official recommendations for daily intake are made in current dietary guidelines.

Interest in taurine's potential to slow or reverse aging was highest after an international 2023 study directed by scientists at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Healthy Longevity Program. The research discovered that levels of taurine decreased after midlife in animals and humans, and supplementation in mice, monkeys, and worms increased lifespan and enhanced indicators of well-being, such as muscle power and glucose metabolism.

This research was soon popular with biohackers such as Bryan Johnson, who added taurine to his supplement stack geared towards reversing biological age. Taurine was viewed as a nutrient that not only had a correlation with aging but worked against its effects. The expectation was that taurine had the potential to act as a biomarker of aging as well as a therapeutic target.

But new research released in Science on June 5, 2025, indicates the interconnection of taurine and aging might be more complex than imagined. A team of scientists headed by Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), conducted a big-scale study using cross-sectional and longitudinal data — following more than 1,000 people aged 20-100 and several animal models.

Unlike the findings of the previous study, however, this new research determined that levels of taurine did not decrease with age. Instead, taurine levels in older subjects remained constant or even rose in older subjects from almost all cohorts, including rhesus macaque monkeys and mice. These findings are a far cry from previous assumptions that taurine is an effective biomarker for biological aging.

An important difference between the 2023 and 2025 reports is methodology. The previous research was very much based on cross-sectional data — comparing various people at one time point — whereas the new study included longitudinal analysis, following the same people over long times. Study co-author Maria Emilia Fernandez said that differences in taurine concentrations between people were far larger than any change with age. This discrepancy brings us to the question: Can taurine serve as a valid tool for measuring or impacting aging?

The group also investigated whether taurine was associated with health indicators such as muscle function, a known issue among aging individuals. Once more, the results indicated no uniform correlation between cohorts, further undermining the hypothesis that taurine concentrations are predictive of physical decline with age.

Also Read: This Common Energy Drink Ingredient Is Tied To Blood Cancer Risk

Potential Risks of Taurine Supplementation

Although taurine can yet possess therapeutic value under certain circumstances, it is not risk-free. Long-term or high-dose taurine supplementation has been associated with gastrointestinal upset, renal stress, and, in isolated instances, liver dysfunction or increased cancer risk, including leukemia. Such discoveries call for restraint, particularly among those who self-medicate taurine with the expectation of increasing lifespan.

Compounding the complexity, taurine levels are also known to vary according to conditions of health. Obesity patients tend to have taurine levels lower than normal, and protracted obesity can produce a taurine surge. Cancer patients produce increased levels in leukemia but reduced levels in breast cancer, indicating how subtle taurine's function in the body truly is.

Does Taurine Remain Promising?

Even with the recent setbacks to taurine's status as an anti-aging superhero, experts concede that it shouldn't be completely dismissed. Dr. Ferrucci believes that the conflicting results may even shed light on deeper mechanisms of aging. "The inconsistency can reveal some significant mechanisms with aging that may be new targets for treatments," he explained at a press conference.

Vijay Yadav, the principal investigator of the previous pro-taurine study, highlighted that the source and quality of data employed can influence results tremendously. He admits that further analysis and more refined clinical trials need to be conducted to determine how taurine could act with different biological systems in different populations.

So is taurine the fountain of youth? The answer is still out at this point. Early animal research had been promising a rosy picture, but recent evidence points to a more nuanced truth — one that's different for each person, species, and way of measuring. As with many supplements in the health space, the effect of taurine will probably depend on context, and more well-designed, human-specific research is necessary before it can be prescribed as a panacea anti-aging pill.

Meanwhile, people should consult doctors before adding taurine supplements to their regimen, particularly at high levels. Longevity research is being accelerated at a breakneck pace, yet where taurine is concerned, the tale is still in its early stages.

Fridges have helped us in many ways, whether it is by prolonging the shelf-life of foods or helping us avoid heat-based illnesses. Many times, keeping foods at room temperature for a long time can promote bacteria growth. By keeping the food at lower temperatures, it can help keep the food fresh for longer. However, a recent study found that many people in the UK might be making choices that put themselves and others at risk of food poisoning.

Worrying Fridge Habits Uncovered

A survey by the Currys, a tech and appliance store, asked 2,000 people about their fridge habits and found some concerning trends. An expert has now warned that organizing your fridge correctly is "essential" to avoid getting sick.

The study found that more than one in five fridge owners didn't know the ideal fridge temperature should be between 0-5°C (0-41 degrees F), as recommended by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Even worse, 42% admitted they don't regularly check their fridge temperature. This means potentially millions of people in the UK could be risking food poisoning.

When it came to specific items, 61% didn't know that dairy products like milk shouldn't be stored in the fridge door. The door is actually the warmest part of the fridge because its temperature changes every time it's opened and closed.

Raw Meat, Eggs, and Other Storage Surprises

The survey also revealed that 22% of people didn't know raw meat should always go on the lowest shelf in the fridge. A third of those surveyed even confessed to eating meat from the fridge without being fully sure it was safe.

Many people are also unsure about eggs. Google data shows over 31,000 searches in the UK for "should I keep eggs in the fridge," a 26% increase from last year. The FSA advises: "Store eggs in a cool, dry place, ideally in the fridge and keep them apart from other foods." Keeping eggs on the counter can affect their quality, especially with changing kitchen temperatures from weather or cooking.

Tips To Keep Your Fridge Safe

According to the University of Minnesota Extension, keeping your refrigerator at the right temperature is one of the best ways to prevent food poisoning. Experts like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) say that food should be stored at 40 degrees F (about 4 degrees C) or colder. Research even suggests that if all refrigerators were kept below this temperature, a serious illness called listeriosis could be reduced by a huge 70%. Yet, a study from the University of Tennessee found that very few people, only about 9%, actually own a fridge thermometer. Here are some important tips to keep in mind for your fridge safety.

Keeping your fridge organized and at the right temperature is key to preventing foodborne illness. Here's how to keep your food safe:

Store raw meats on the bottom shelf

Always place raw meat, poultry, and seafood on the lowest shelf in trays or pans. This stops their juices from dripping onto and contaminating other foods below.

Check your fridge temperature regularly

Make it a habit to check your refrigerator's temperature often, ideally every day or at least once a week. This ensures it stays at a safe temperature (40°F or below).

Refrigerate cooked food quickly

Make sure to put prepared meals and any leftovers into the fridge within two hours of cooking.

Cool leftovers properly

To help leftovers cool down fast, divide them into small, shallow containers before placing them in the refrigerator. Once the food has cooled, you can cover it.

Don't overfill your fridge

Avoid packing your refrigerator too full. Cool air needs to circulate freely around your food to keep everything at a safe temperature.