For a nation of tea drinkers, we sure drink a lot of coffee. According to the British Coffee Association, British consumers drink around 98 million cups of coffee a day. In fact, coffee – not tea – has been steadily climbing the ranks of Britons’ favourite hot drink – 63 per cent of us enjoy a coffee regularly, compared to 59 per cent of us who opt for a cuppa.
This change has not been without contention – with some lamenting coffee as a drink that will potentially increasing your risk of high blood pressure, heartburn, jitteriness and anxiety. All of which is true. But coffee also has the potential to be very good for our health.
As with all things, moderation is advised. “With most of these things there’s a Goldilocks zone,” explains Lorna Harries, professor of molecular genetics at the University of Exeter. “Too much is bad and too little is bad. It’s not a situation where we’d be recommending people to go out and get loads of coffee because there are other things in coffee (not least caffeine) that have an effect as well.”
Your best bet is to be aware of your caffeine tolerance and stick to recommended limits, adds registered dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine. “Most adults should aim to consume less than 400mg of caffeine a day, which is roughly equivalent to four cups of brewed tea or instant coffee. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, it’s recommended to limit caffeine intake to less than 200mg per day, or about two cups of black tea or instant coffee. It’s also worth noting that adding excessive sugar or high-fat creamers can diminish these benefits.”
If you’re drinking the right amount, however, there are multiple ways that a cup of joe can benefit our bodies.
1. Coffee is great for gut health
One of the main reasons coffee is being hailed as good for us is the fact it is high in polyphenols. These are bitter chemicals, Harries explains, that you find in fruits, vegetables, and other types of plants, “and these molecules are actually really quite good for you.”
This is thanks to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that have a whole host of beneficial consequences; in particular, a positive impact on our gut microbiome. “The more different kinds of good bacteria you’re walking around [in your gut] with the better,” Harries says.
She adds that there is some data that suggests a few of the molecules in coffee can make you more likely to have more different types of good bugs – the prebiotic compounds in coffee that nourish the beneficial bacteria already present, something Harries has seen in her own studies.
“Those experiments have shown fairly conclusively that some of the polyphenols do have beneficial effects against senescent cells (another word for an old, aged cell).” These are cells that can be a problem because they accumulate as we get older and can have negative impacts, like weakening the intestinal barrier and promoting systemic inflammation.
2. Coffee can help you manage your weight
Some research found that drinking coffee can boost your metabolic rate and potentially reduce body fat. Normal levels of caffeine consumption were found to increase participants’ resting metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn calories at rest) by three to 11 per cent, with larger doses having a greater effect. Other researchers discovered that a daily intake of 100mg of caffeine is estimated to increase your energy expenditure by about 100 calories a day.
Coffee can also lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, a condition that can cause weight gain. A 2023 study found that regular coffee drinking was correlated with a lower risk and incidence of type 2 diabetes. Researchers looked at diabetes-related biomarkers and found that those who drank coffee more frequently led to a lower concentration of those inflammatory markers. The risk decreased by 12 per cent for every two cups of coffee drunk a day.
The reduction in inflammatory markers is potentially thought to be due to the effect of polyphenols’ anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers have now speculated that caffeine may show promise in the treatment of obesity, although more studies are needed.
3. Coffee can boost our brains
One of the frequently researched connections between coffee and our health has been whether it has potential to protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. One study found that drinking three to five cups of coffee per day at midlife was associated with a decreased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s by about 65 per cent at late-life.
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Dr David Vauzour, associate professor in molecular nutrition at the University of East Anglia, says that the combined caffeine and polyphenol content in coffee has been linked to several potential neurological benefits.
“In the brain, caffeine can act as an antagonist of adenosine receptors, leading to hyperexcitability of the central nervous system, ” he says – or in layman’s terms, the caffeine in coffee blocks certain receptors, leading to increases in other brain chemicals (including dopamine). This can lead to positive effects in mood, memory, and cognitive function.
It can also have a positive impact on mood. One 2011 review found risk of depression was 20 per cent lower among women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day compared to those who drank one or less a week. Researchers suggested this may be down to caffeine increasing the expression of neurotransmitters in the brain, such as the “happy hormone” dopamine.
“Polyphenols may also act as antioxidants, therefore limiting oxidative stress”, he adds. Oxidative stress in the brain can contribute to cognitive decline and chronic pathologies in the brain like stroke, brain injury and other neurodegenerative diseases – so limiting it is a must.
It’s not all good news however – excessive consumption of caffeine can disrupt the neuroendocrine system that regulates the body’s stress response, leading to side effects like insomnia and anxiety.
4. Coffee can protect against disease
Coffee has been connected to the potential to protect against several diseases. For example, the role that caffeine may play in dopamine modulation, Dr Vauzour says, has the potential to protect against Parkinson’s disease.
One large study followed more than 100,000 men and women for more than 10 years. Over the course of the study, 288 participants developed Parkinson’s. Men who consumed the most coffee—up to five cups a day—were significantly less likely to develop the condition compared with those who consumed the least amount of coffee.
Coffee may also reduce the risk of having two or more cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. A study from scientists at Soochow University in China found drinking around three cups of coffee a day was associated with a 48 per cent lower risk of having two or more cardiometabolic diseases, compared to those who drank less than one cup a day.
Once again, Ludlam-Raine explains, this is thought to be to do with the impact of polyphenols: “coffee’s antioxidant properties help protect the heart by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, while its mild stimulatory effect can improve vascular function.”
Drinking one to two cups a day may also help ward off heart failure when a weakened heart has difficulty pumping enough blood to the body. Both regular and decaf coffee seem to have a protective effect on your liver, an organ that plays a major role in your cardiometabolic system. Research shows that coffee drinkers are more likely to have liver enzyme levels within a healthy range than people who don’t drink coffee.
5. Coffee can help makes our bodies strong
Coffee also seems to play a role in strengthening our physical support system. Our muscles, for example, typically deteriorate progressively, losing mass and strength, as we age. But one study has found that people who consumed at least two mugs of coffee per day (or 240ml) had around a tenth more muscle compared to those who drank none.
And a 2022 study from the University of Leeds suggested that for every additional cup of coffee a woman drank per day, her hip fracture risk was reduced by four per cent. The researchers suggested the polyphenols and phytoestrogens contained in coffee may help to maintain bone health.
Coffee doesn’t even have to be caffeinated for you to enjoy the benefits. Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust is currently running a trial to see if serving caffeine-free drinks reduces the risk of falls. So far the results of the trial, which began in May, have shown a 30 per cent reduction.
Keep it simple
There are a world of ways to prepare and serve coffee, but your best bet is to stick to a basic brew. Steer clear of unnecessary additives that can raise the fat or sugar content. However, you don’t need to avoid milk altogether. “Drinking coffee with milk but without sugar has particular benefits,” says Dr Abdul Azizi, principal dentist of Harley Private Dentist Clinic. “Adding milk can help neutralise some of the acidity of coffee, which can be beneficial for dental health.”
Go for a lighter roast
All forms of coffee, including instant, will have a good amount of polyphenols, the chemicals connected to many of its purported benefits. However if you’re looking to max out your intake, lighter roasts have been found to have higher concentrations of compounds like chlorogenic acid, one of the particularly impactful polyphenols. These polyphenols may help protect the body against inflammation — and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
If you’re sensitive to caffeine, it’s worth noting that Arabica beans generally have less of it. Studies have found that after drying, Arabica beans contain 0.9 to 1.5 per cent caffeine, and Robusta beans contain 1.2 to 2 per cent.
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Brewing techniques can have an impact on the antioxidant levels in your coffee. One study found that coffee from a French press or espresso machine had the lowest levels of antioxidants, while AeroPress coffee had the highest. That said, the difference is marginal if you prefer your cafetière.
