Science-backed ways to give your coffee a healthy makeover. Photo / DepostiPhotos
What’s the best way to drink coffee for our health without taking away all the joy of it?
It’s wonderful when something we love shows us some love back. Coffee does this – and for the most part, the science suggests it can be good for you.
However, what we do with our coffee – how we brew it, when we drink it and what we put inside it – can have an outsize impact on our health because those habits form part of a ritual many of us enjoy multiple times a day.
I analysed dozens of studies on coffee, and here’s my advice: Add no more than 1 teaspoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of whole milk to each cup. But go ahead and grab another mug; three-and-a-half cups of filtered coffee per day can be good for your health.
According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, around 75% of US adults drink coffee. If that includes you, here’s what the science says about the health benefits – as well as more science-backed tips to upgrade your daily joe.
A major 2022 study tracking over 170,000 healthy UK adults found that people drinking between one-and-a-half and three-and-a-half cups of coffee a day were up to 30% less likely to die of any cause over the next seven years.
This was one of several studies that have linked coffee consumption to improved mortality. And while observational studies don’t prove causation, this data has been fairly consistently reproduced over the years.
Scientists suspect the abundance of antioxidants in coffee may be responsible for the range of benefits linked to increased coffee consumption – such as a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, colorectal cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Because of how much coffee Americans drink, it’s the No 1 source of antioxidants in our diets.
So for people like me who chug three cups a day: it’s time to rejoice.
Add no more than 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup
The mortality benefit noted in the 2022 study was strongest for people who drank unsweetened coffee; in the unsweetened coffee group, even drinking more than four-and-a-half cups per day was linked to living longer. People who lightly sweetened their coffee with just a single teaspoon also experienced a benefit.
According to NHANES data, coffee drinkers add an average of about three teaspoons of sugar per day to their coffee. Be mindful of your overall intake: the recommended limit of added sugar per day is six teaspoons for women and nine teaspoons for men.
Think twice about artificial sweeteners
In the 2022 study, artificial sweeteners seemed to negate the positive pattern seen among drinkers of sugar-sweetened or unsweetened coffee – even after accounting for the presence of diabetes and other factors. (People with diabetes were far more likely to consume artificial sweeteners or drink their coffee unsweetened than those without because of the impact sugar has on their blood glucose.)
The data is still emerging, but a growing body of literature suggests that we shouldn’t assume sugar substitutes are a healthier choice for everyone.
Avoid ultra-processed coffee creamers
Popular, seasonally flavoured creamers often contain very little cream and tend to be ultra-processed. The primary ingredient is usually some form of vegetable oil like palm or soybean, with another one to two teaspoons’ worth of added sugars per tablespoon.
Recent studies suggest the goal in coffee should be less than 1g of fat per cup – or the equivalent of two tablespoons of whole milk. So next time you’re standing in the dairy aisle, read the creamer labels carefully. If you’re still craving cosy #PSL vibes, try adding a dash of cinnamon to your cup.
Use your French press sparingly. Aim for filtered coffee
A 2020 study of about half a million Norwegian adults examined the difference in outcomes between brewing methods: namely, filtered coffee versus unfiltered coffee (such as with a French press or a traditional espresso). Researchers found that unfiltered coffee was associated with higher mortality.
A separate study found that drinking three to five cups of espresso daily or six or more cups of French press coffee daily was associated with elevated serum cholesterol levels. The reason is that unfiltered coffee contains compounds called diterpenes. These compounds can raise cholesterol in several ways, including by decreasing the liver’s ability to remove low-density lipoproteins from our body’s circulation.
Paper filters better trap cholesterol-raising compounds and keep them from entering your cup. So if you’re someone who drinks multiple cups per day, aim mostly for filtered coffee.
Instant and decaf coffee are also fine
The 2022 study found that, for the most part, ground coffee, instant coffee and decaffeinated coffee were all similarly beneficial.
A fun fact: Instant coffee and coffee pods are technically filtered because of how they’re processed. Instant coffee is brewed filtered coffee that gets industrially dried into granules, and coffee pods contain a small filter on the inside.
Get your coffee in early
A study from earlier this year examined whether the timing of your coffee mattered. After analysing over 40,000 American men and women, researchers found that those who drank their coffee primarily before noon – as opposed to sipping throughout the day, including the afternoon or evening – were 16% less likely to die of all causes, even after accounting for drinking other caffeinated drinks, sleep duration and trouble sleeping.
Scientists have suggested that sleep quality is probably affected by drinking coffee later in the day, and a clinical trial found that heavy consumption of coffee in the afternoon and evening blocked secretion of melatonin by about 30%. But the health risks of chronic disturbances to our circadian rhythm are far-reaching – and may be more related to inflammation and changes in our immune system than simply sleep quality.
Leave time for a bowel movement
Have you heard of the gastrocolic reflex? It’s a physiological phenomenon by which substances enter the stomach and within minutes trigger contractions in the colon. Because of it, people often experience the urge to have a bowel movement shortly after meals, which, of course, can cause some social discomfort but is perfectly healthy and normal.
Coffee – and even decaffeinated coffee – has been found to be a potent trigger of the gastrocolic reflex in many people. If this describes you, plan your routine accordingly. Instead of chugging your coffee every morning only to sit in rush-hour traffic for the next hour, perhaps you should start sipping from a travel mug once you’re closer to your destination.
The bulk of the evidence indicates that coffee – in moderation and when limiting added sugar and ultra-processed sweeteners – is safe, and it’s best to drink it filtered, particularly if you’re worried about heart disease.
Among people who drink coffee regularly, studies have found little immediate impact of a cup of coffee on blood pressure. But when in doubt, people with very high blood pressure (160/100 mm Hg or greater) or other cardiovascular diseases should check in with their physician about their coffee consumption.