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90% of adult Americans enjoy at least one daily cup of coffee. That morning cup of joe is a tradition, just like baseball or your childhood photos with your local mall Santa.
But…is your coffee wrecking your health? (Spoiler: probably not.)
Is coffee good for you? Coffee can be both healthy and unhealthy, and not all coffees are equal. The coffee you drink and the way you prepare it have a lot to do with whether coffee is bad for you or not.
We break down the benefits and disadvantages of various types of coffee, along with great options for more health-conscious coffee drinkers.
Despite the negative press that coffee can receive, there are multiple ways that your daily coffee intake can benefit your health. Believe the hype — here’s how caffeinated coffee may actually be good for you.
Your daily coffee may lower the risk of not just one, but several types of cancer. Daily coffee drinkers have:
To get these benefits, participants drank roughly 4 cups of coffee a day. If anyone questions your coffee habit, tell them it’s for your health!
If you’re looking to lose weight, this is one tasty way to do it. Coffee contains potassium and magnesium, which positively influence insulin levels and keep unhealthy cravings at bay, both of which support weight loss.
There’s even more good news: coffee helps the body break down fat cells to burn for fuel. It even speeds up your metabolism! Your waistline will thank you for your coffee consumption.
Your coffee is about to be your newest gym buddy. Drinking a cup of coffee an hour before working out could increase your performance by 11-12%. That’s because coffee amplifies our adrenaline levels, improving the body’s response times and boosting heart rate.
Long-term caffeine consumption is linked to a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women. It’s known to decrease insulin sensitivity and impair the body’s tolerance to glucose. (Just be sure not to pair it with sugar-filled creamers!)
The effects are undeniable: One study showed that for each daily cup of coffee, each daily cup of coffee reduced the risk of diabetes by 7%.
Regular coffee consumption shields the body against many different diseases and conditions.
Not only does coffee decrease your chances of developing these health conditions, but a cup of coffee is also packed with antioxidants. These chemicals protect against the free radicals that contribute to heart disease, cancer, and more.
Whether you’re writing a term paper or gearing up for your best golf game, a cup of black coffee is almost guaranteed to increase your ability to focus and overall energy levels.
Studies show that caffeine consumption can increase cognitive speed during test-taking.
If you’re in a funk, caffeine may be able to improve your mood. Caffeine kickstarts a party for your nervous system and neurotransmitters. It’s known for boosting dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline levels and elevating your overall mood.
The effects of coffee have even been proven to reduce the risk of suicide by about 50%.
Is coffee bad for you?For most people, regular coffee consumption is not bad for their health. But while the health benefits of coffee are far-ranging, there can still be drawbacks from consuming caffeinated beverages in some cases.
The disadvantages of drinking coffee are possible digestive issues, increased anxiety, potential toxicity, poor sleep, and heart health concerns. It’s important to note, though, that most of these are both rare and avoidable.
This is one of the most discussed side effects of drinking coffee: The acidity in coffee can cause heartburn, stomach discomfort, and even some digestive conditions. Ouch!
To avoid this, consider drinking coffee with food, not an empty stomach. You can also try a low-roast coffee that’s less acidic than conventional brands.
In fact, that’s why Golden Ratio was founded — to bring low-roast coffee to the world, showcasingincredible flavors with five times less acidity than traditional black coffee. We provide beans without the burn.
For some people, caffeine may increase feelings of anxiety. The “caffeine jitters” may turn into more severe nerves for specific individuals.
We love hearing reviews from our customers that our gold roast coffee doesn’t cause the same anxiousness as other coffee beans, despite being 50% higher in caffeine content.
That said, if you have existing anxiety issues or are under the age of 18, it’s usually best to drink coffee in moderation. Stick to a cup or less per day, and pay attention to how it impacts your mood.
Bad beans can lead to a concerning cup of coffee. The primary concern is with pesticides used in growing many lower-quality coffee beans. Pesticides have been connected to serious health concerns like nerve damage, reproductive issues, skin irritation, and higher cancer risks.
Hence our reasoning for choosing coffee only from ethically sourced, organic providers that pay the farmers fairly for the beans they grow for Golden Ratio. Better quality coffee beans mean healthier coffee.
4. Decreases Sleep QualityCaffeine intake later in the day can hurt sleep quality. Research recommends stopping any coffee consumption at least 6 hours before bedtime for optimal sleep.
If you absolutely need another cup in the evening, try decaf coffee.
While coffee may benefit many aspects of health, there are some concerns about its effects on the heart:
Is it better to never drink coffee? For people with high blood pressure issues, it might be better to never drink coffee. However, the rise in blood pressure that caffeine triggers is minimal for most people.
The bottom line on the disadvantages of coffee: Unless you have preexisting concerns like high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, certain genetic codes, or high blood pressure, drinking coffee should be a fairly safe bet.
Not all coffee variations have the same benefits. In fact, what you drink as your “regular coffee” is very important.
Instant coffee, espresso-based drinks like lattes, and icy drinks like frappuccinos are usually not health-conscious choices. They’re typically filled with added sugars and additives that overwhelm coffee’s antioxidants and nutrients.
No judgment here, but there are better alternatives!
Additionally, unfiltered coffee like French press or Turkish coffee is much more likely to raise your LDL cholesterol than filtered varieties because of high levels of the compound homocysteine.
To get the most benefits from your coffee, choose a brand that is:
If you want to go the extra mile, pick a more eco-conscious brand.
These were some of the guideposts for us as we created Golden Ratio, a low-acidity, organically grown and packaged, sugar-free, more planet-friendly cup of coffee. (And it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.)
Is it bad to drink coffee everyday?Drinking coffee every day is not so much an issue compared to how much coffee you are drinking each day. Most doctors agree that drinking more than 400 mg of caffeine per day is too much, which comes out to anything more than four 8-ounce cups of coffee.
On average, your regular brewed cup of coffee comes out to about 95 mg of caffeine.
Is it good that coffee has a lot of caffeine?Unfortunately, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.
Consistently drinking an excessive amount of caffeine may start to cause negative effects. Opt for decaf coffee after your fourth cup of the day. (If you’re learning that you need to cut back, go slowly to avoid withdrawal symptoms.)
Most experts agree that pregnant women should avoid caffeine. Breastfeeding moms or those trying to conceive should keep their caffeine intake below 200 mg daily (2 cups of coffee).
Additionally, people with high cholesterol or heart concerns should probably steer clear of coffee, particularly unfiltered varieties, as well as individuals who find it affects their anxiety. And finally, if you happen to have the CYP1A2*1F allele, decaf may be your new friend.
We’ve debunked the myth: In most cases, coffee isn’t bad for you and boasts quite a few health benefits from cancer prevention to boosting mental health.
Hey, you’ve just done some serious coffee research. You clearly care about your coffee, where it comes from, and how it affects your body. Good for you!
Why don’t you let us take it from here? We’d love to send our coffee straight to your doorstep every month. Enough talking about coffee; try a lighter brew for a golden you.
