Have you ever wondered “is coffee actually good for you?,” or even if your coffee habit could be doing more harm than good? Maybe it’s because so many of us love it and even depend on it. And we’ve been conditioned to think that dependence on anything, especially a stimulant, is no good. You may also recall some negative buzz around the brew, or you may notice your heart hammers when you’ve had too much and it may cause you some concern.
There are reasons the “coffee is bad” rumor won’t die. But science shows that for most people, coffee actually has benefits beyond keeping you awake during snoozy meetings that could have been emails. Whatever your reason for wondering if you should cut back, here’s what the experts want you to know about America’s favorite “good morning” beverage.
Why do people think coffee is unhealthy?
The “is coffee healthy or unhealthy” debate has been ongoing for decades, with piles of research (thankfully!) debunking a few popular coffee myths:
The caffeine in coffee is harmful
Most of the concerns folks have about coffee arise because of caffeine, which is also the reason so many of us appreciate it, especially in the morning. Caffeine acts as a stimulant by blocking adenosine, the neurotransmitter that promotes sleep, resulting in increased alertness and focus, explains Chester Wu, M.D., a psychiatrist and sleep specialist in Houston. But a recent review in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, says most adults can safely have up to 400 mg of caffeine a day—that’s what’s in two to three 12-oz cups—without adverse effects. (Adults in specific situations, such as being pregnant or having heart trouble, might want to ask their doctors how much caffeine is safe for them.)
If you drink more than that amount (or are extra sensitive to caffeine), you might have short-term issues such as mild anxiety, an upset stomach, or insomnia, especially if you have it late in the day. Caffeine can also cause a brief rise in blood pressure (even if you don’t have high blood pressure), mainly if you drink it infrequently, according to the Mayo Clinic. As for long-term health problems, people have been drinking coffee for centuries, and for healthy adults, there don’t appear to be any issues.
Coffee has cancer-causing compounds
Non-caffeine-related worries didn’t come out of nowhere either. In 1991, the beverage was classified as a “possible carcinogen” by the World Health Organization (WHO) because limited evidence linked it to bladder cancer. A thorough WHO review found “no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect of drinking coffee.”
A similar potential issue came up in 2018: A California law (Proposition 65) requires businesses to warn consumers if their products contain chemicals that could cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive issues with significant exposure—and coffee, when roasted, produces acrylamide, a chemical classified as a probable carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency. But a large review of more than one thousand studies determined that the chemicals created in producing coffee did not pose a significant risk of causing cancer.
Besides, “while large amounts of acrylamide have been shown to cause cancer in animal models, there’s no compelling evidence showing that it increases the risk of cancer in humans,” says Catherine Carpenter, Ph.D., M.P.H., an adjunct professor at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition.
What are the health benefits of coffee?
You might want to pour yourself a cuppa right now, because coffee is a seriously beneficial brew. Here’s how coffee can support your health:
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It may help prevent some cancers
Coffee comes from plants, so it’s high in antioxidants and phytochemicals that have antioxidant elements, says Keri Glassman, M.S., R.D.N., and antioxidants can help prevent the free-radical damage that may lead to cancer.
In fact, coffee contains more than 1,000 compounds, many of which likely have anti-inflammatory properties as well as potentially anti-cancer ones, according to a BMJ research review. Coffee consumption is also associated with a lower risk of melanoma, as well as prostate cancers. And an older study found that coffee drinkers in general were 26% less likely to develop colorectal cancer than others who did not drink coffee; those who drank more than two and a half servings a day were 54% less likely to get it.
It could help you live longer
Research also shows that drinking coffee may lengthen your life—or so concluded a 2022 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that found that people who drank one and a half to three and a half cups of coffee per day were up to 30% less likely to die of any cause during the study period than those who didn’t drink any.
It supports brain health
Evidence shows that people who drink caffeinated beverages such as coffee daily (in moderation) have a lower risk of developing dementia than those who do not, says Brynna Connor, M.D., a family physician in Austin.
Studies also suggest that the caffeine in coffee may have neuroprotective benefits against Parkinson’s disease and may help with movement symptoms in people who already have the disorder.
It could help ward off chronic disease
Coffee consumption is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, depression, and other chronic illnesses. And despite the fact that some people get heart palpitations when they drink coffee, “one review found that moderate coffee consumption could reduce the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other heart conditions,” says Edo Paz, M.D., a cardiologist in New York City.
So, can you stick with your daily cup(s)?
All that caution and research adds up to this: If you don’t experience negative effects such as the jitters or anxiety when you drink coffee and you sleep well, there’s no health-related reason you should quit—and you get some benefits from it. Just don’t consume it as if it were water.
Keep in mind that regardless of its benefits, if caffeine affects your sleep, that’s a sign that you need to cut down on coffee, switch to decaf, or quit altogether. Sleep is critical to many bodily functions, including memory. “The stimulating effects of coffee can last for several hours,” says Dr. Wu, “meaning that even if you drink it early in the day, it might still be affecting your ability to relax and fall asleep at night.”
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