Is coffee good for you?

There are few things more ritualistic, or sacred, than a morning cup of coffee. In fact, the British Coffee Association estimates that we drink around 95 million cups of coffee per day in the UK, up from 70 million in 2008, meaning that coffee is close to surpassing tea as the nation’s favourite drink.

Yet, most people wouldn’t describe coffee as a healthy drink. In fact, many people believe that coffee is a decidedly unhealthy drink – a reputation that is largely down to, now discredited, research from the fifties and sixties that showed that non-coffee drinkers tended to live longer than their coffee drinking counterparts. However, new research has now emerged, which suggests that coffee can help you live longer by lowering the risk of death from several key conditions including heart disease.

Can coffee help you live longer?

Research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine states that having three cups of coffee a day, may help to lengthen your lifespan. The study tracked more than 500,000 people from 10 different European countries for nearly two decades and concluded that moderate “Coffee drinking was associated with reduced risk for death from various causes. This relationship did not vary by country.” 

A 2017 meta study published in the BMJ also came to the same conclusion, stating that coffee drinking was more associated with benefit than harm, particularly in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes. In addition, some experts claim that coffee may also help to protect you from Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and liver conditions such as cirrhosis, liver cancer and chronic liver disease.

Does coffee increase performance?

Coffee may also help you to feel less tired and increase your energy levels, thanks to its high caffeine content. Caffeine has been shown to stimulate neurons that can lead to improvements in memory, mood, energy and cognitive function. While caffeine is also known to improve athletic performance, by aiding oxygen absorption, with some reports claiming that drinking coffee before exercise may improve athletic performance by as much as 11-12%.

Does coffee have antioxidative properties?

Coffee is known for its antioxidative qualities – preventing our cells from being oxidised by toxins, chemicals or becoming inflamed. Antioxidants are also believed to help reduce the risk of cancer and many other chronic illnesses. Coffee, also contains some B vitamins, magnesium and potassium, meaning that it can be a nutritional part of a balanced diet. 

Can coffee be bad for you?

The short answer is yes, like anything else, coffee can be bad for you in excess. Caffeine does have addictive properties and can also cause dehydration when done in excess. However, in general, the net positives outweigh the net negatives, meaning that drinking coffee in moderation is good for you. 

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