Forget the January detox – there’s finally a scientific defence for your morning coffee

for every meal).

And scientists have our blessing on this one. Hallelujah!

A ten-year study of 40,000 US adults conducted by Tulane University in Louisiana found that individuals who consumed coffee as part of their morning routine were 31 per cent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, and 16 per cent less likely to die prematurely from any cause, compared to those who did not drink coffee at all.

Just as timing plays a crucial role in many aspects of life, the study showed that the time of day when one drinks coffee makes little difference in terms of mortality rates, with no significant distinction found between regular coffee drinkers and those who abstained.

“Our research suggests that it’s not just caffeine consumption that matters, but rather the time of day when you drink it that’s crucial,” declared Dr Lu Qi, lead author of the study. “We usually only offer advice on what to eat, but maybe we also need to consider timing as part of our dietary guidance in the future.”

The monarch who’s pounding green juice.

When I came across the written reply to this latest research from Professor Thomas Lüscher, a Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals expert in London, I felt a surge of self-satisfaction sweep over me: “Overall, we must accept the substantial evidence that drinking coffee, especially in the morning, is likely to be beneficial. So, go ahead and have a cup of coffee, just make sure you do it in the morning.”

The seemingly endless list is just another way to make us feel as though we're constantly failing to meet our goals.

Does it? There's possibly a reason why coffee has long been seen as a weakness we need to cut back on, a guilty pleasure that's considered unhealthy. Perhaps, there's something inherently excessive about the daily ritual of making a cup of coffee. The way you fill the cafetire, piling in the coffee grounds by the spoonfuls; that intense, nostalgic smell as it's brewing; the satisfaction of the moment you drop in the plunger and pour over the cup; the taste sensation you get from taking that first sip; the feeling of a gentle energy boost spreading through your body. In a world where denying yourself things is seen as admirable, it's hard to accept that something that feels so pleasurable could be anything other than a treat too far.

I might just be able to scrape by this year.

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