'It's buying you time' — the ASA banned Exhale Coffee's anti-ageing claims

Exhale Coffee, sold by Higham Miller Coffee Ltd, marketed high-polyphenol coffee on health claims. In a paid Instagram post seen in February 2026 the founder cited research claiming moderate coffee drinkers had 'telomeres equivalent to people five years younger': coffee 'is buying you time, it's protecting your DNA, it's slowing down aging at the cellular level'. The ad called it 'the healthiest coffee on earth', promised 'Polyphenols to support gut and brain health', and said testing was overseen by Dr Rupy, founder of The Doctor's Kitchen, as the company's chief science officer.

Exhale's defence leaned on the wrong register. It cited the UK's authorised health claim for polyphenols — which belongs to olive oil, not coffee — and lab certificates showing high antioxidant levels. To back its general health claims it pointed to magnesium and potassium levels meeting authorised nutrient-claim thresholds, although neither nutrient appeared in the ad.

On 22 July 2026 the ASA upheld the complaints. The anti-ageing, telomere, DNA and gut/brain claims were specific health claims, and none is authorised for coffee on the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register. 'The healthiest coffee on earth' was a general health claim without an accompanying authorised specific claim, 'high in antioxidants' an unauthorised nutrition claim, and Dr Rupy's presence amounted to a health professional endorsing health claims, breaching CAP Code rule 15.6.3. The ad must not appear again; Exhale said it had stopped running and would amend future ads.