Is coffee good for you or bad for you?
In this article, we’ll help you answer that question for yourself by weighing coffee’s pros and cons.
You’ll also learn how to maximize the benefits while minimizing the downsides. And since 80 percent of the world drinks coffee, let’s start with all of the reasons to love it.
Thousands of studies show an overwhelmingly positive connection between coffee consumption and improved health.
As you’re about to learn, you can drink your brew and enjoy good health, too.
But before we get into the research, it’s helpful to differentiate between the bean and the caffeine.
Assessing the caffeine separate from coffee’s other nutrients can help us make informed choices about how to get the most out of our morning cup.
The Bean vs. the Caffeine
Fill in the blank: “Coffee is the number one source of ______ in the western diet.”
If you said “caffeine,” you’re not wrong, but you’re also not entirely right.
The answer? Coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in most Americans’ diets.
That’s right. Most people get more free-radical-fighters from coffee than from vegetables and fruit combined. Does that mean coffee has more antioxidants than other foods? Not necessarily. Coffee ranks 11th in antioxidants per serving. We just drink so much of it that it has become our primary dietary source!
If you said “caffeine,” you’re not wrong, but you’re also not entirely right.
The answer? Coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in most Americans’ diets.
That’s right. Most people get more free-radical-fighters from coffee than from vegetables and fruit combined. Does that mean coffee has more antioxidants than other foods? Not necessarily. Coffee ranks 11th in antioxidants per serving. We just drink so much of it that it has become our primary dietary source!
Caffeine: The Dark Side of Coffee?
We all know that feeling of being over-caffeinated: Jittery, sweaty, anxious, and irritable.
Many of us are also familiar with caffeine tolerance. When your single cup of coffee no longer has that same mind-blowing effect, so you start to have one more… and then another… Until you’re up to 5 cups a day.
And before you know it, your sleep is starting to suffer, so you wake up groggy and reach for more coffee. The vicious cycle of codependency continues.
Because of its adverse impacts on our precious sleep, caffeine (when not used responsibly) can outweigh many of coffee’s benefits.
So back to our original question: Is coffee good for you?
It’s undoubtedly a “yes.” Unless you’re overdoing it on the caffeine.
Coffee Improves Brain Function
The research confirms what you already know and why you reach for your cup of Joe morning after morning.
Coffee, specifically its caffeine content, improves:
- Mood
- Memory
- Energy levels
- Reaction time
- And other markers of general mental performance.
Additionally, both fully caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee have been shown to support neurological health.
This means that the polyphenols in coffee also benefit brain function, not just the caffeine.
Coffee Enhances Fat Burning and Metabolic Rate
The caffeine in coffee stimulates an increase in the hormone epinephrine (aka adrenaline).
Among other things, epinephrine signals the body to free up fat for fuel, a process referred to as fat oxidation.
When fat is oxidized, it’s broken down, released into the bloodstream, and utilized for energy.
An increase in fat oxidation also increases the body’s resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn at rest).
Caffeine boosts resting metabolic rate by as much as 29% depending on body composition, caffeine tolerance, and other variables.
But there’s a catch: these benefits are short-lived as we develop a tolerance to caffeine’s effect on fat burning and metabolism over time.
If you use coffee to support fat loss, consider regular caffeine resets to avoid caffeine tolerance.
Coffee Improves Overall Healthspan
And for the grand finale… Drinking coffee may also extend your life!
Several studies associate regular coffee consumption with a lower risk of early death and a longer lifespan than non-coffee drinkers.
The antioxidants in coffee are most likely the contributing factor as they combat the oxidative stress associated with aging and other causes of early death.
Coffee and Gut Health
Coffee can even have positive effects on your gut microbiome. This benefit is most likely due to the polyphenols in coffee, not the caffeine.
One study in the International Journal of Food Microbiology found that coffee may increase the number of good bacteria in the gut. After three weeks of moderate coffee consumption (3 cups per day), subjects had more active Bifidobacterium spp, a beneficial probiotic strain that corresponds with digestion, metabolism, and heart health.
Coffee Boosts Athletic Performance
Coffee also has a positive impact on athletic performance.
The caffeine in coffee has been shown to reduce the level of perceived exertion during exercise. In other words, athletes feel stronger at a given intensity with caffeine than without it.
Caffeine also has an ergogenic effect, increasing the energy available to muscles during exercise. In other words, caffeine helps athletes perform harder for longer.
However, like fat metabolism, the effects diminish as we become tolerant to caffeine over time.
