Drink This Daily To Build Your Strength & Reduce Odds Of Frailty
It may already be a part of your morning routine.
BigThink
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Image by BONNINSTUDIO / Stocksy July 25, 2026 Coffee and tea are mainly talked about in terms of how it makes you feel (an energy boost, more alert, happier). While both provide caffeine, they are also loaded with beneficial plant compounds that support longevity. This includes your muscle health and mobility. Recent research looked specifically at whether what you drink in your 40s and 50s has anything to do with how strong and mobile you are in your 70s. Here's what you need to know. 
About the study
The goal of this study was to see if drinking coffee, tea, and caffeine at midlife affect your odds of becoming physically frail decades later. Physical frailty is a measurable syndrome tied to a higher chance of falls, hospital stays, and losing the ability to live independently. There are a few ways to assess it, and this study used a common one built around five markers:
Meeting a few of these markers puts someone in the frail category.
So, researchers followed 12,583 adults in Singapore for about 20 years. Participants were around 53 years old on average when they started, and about 73 by the final check-in. Participants reported how much coffee, black tea, and green tea and frailty was assessed at the start and end.
4 cups a day was linked to nearly half the frailty risk
People who drank four or more cups of coffee a day at midlife were roughly 46% less likely to be physically frail in later life compared to those who rarely or never drank it.
The more coffee people drank, the lower their frailty odds tended to be. One to three cups a day didn't move the needle much on its own. The clear protection showed up at four cups and above.
Tea drinkers benefited too, though more modestly. People who drank tea daily were about 18% less likely to be frail than those who barely drank it, and green tea specifically showed a similar edge. When the researchers added up caffeine from all sources, they found that the people taking in the most caffeine were the least likely to be frail. Specifically, higher caffeine intake was linked to stronger grips and faster walking in later life.
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What might explain the connection
So how do these caffeine-containing beverages have this effect? Well, that's still being investigated. But the study authors speculated that it could be because caffeine blocks a molecule called adenosine, and that same action appears to play a role in how muscles contract and generate force. Over decades, that could help muscles hold onto their performance, and muscle is what keeps you steady on your feet and independent as you age.
Coffee and tea also deliver a heavy dose of polyphenols, plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Low-grade, chronic inflammation is one of the drivers of muscle loss and physical decline in older age, so regularly taking in compounds that help keep it in check may pay off over a long stretch of time.
The takeaway
If you already lean on a few cups of coffee or tea to get through the day, this is a reason to feel good about this habit (just be sure to watch any added sugars!). The research suggests that a steady coffee habit around midlife, in the range of a few cups daily, may support the strength and mobility you'll want to hold onto in your 70s and beyond. As always, everyone has a different caffeine tolerance, so stick with an amount that works best for you.
