Drunk in moderation, coffee’s natural health benefits are unrivalled, says Tim Spector. Photo / 123rf
The doctor and gut specialist shares the medical evidence that led him to swap tea for coffee.
I never used to be a big coffee drinker, opting to start my day with a cup of tea. While I love tea, the main reason for avoiding coffee was that, back when I was a medical student in the 1980s, it was thought to be really dangerous, especially for your heart. One of my first research papers even highlighted a link between coffee drinking and pancreatic cancer.
It turns out that I was completely wrong on that, and so were the other prevailing ideas about coffee at the time. Research has since shown that coffee is, in fact, beneficial for the heart, as well as overall health. It’s a great example of how medicine gets things wrong sometimes.
As my research turned to gut health, I only discovered more ways that coffee is good for our health. Coffee is probably the healthiest drink out there (I’d say matcha and green tea are in second and third place, respectively). This is why you should drink it – and how I enjoy mine.
Coffee drinkers have a 15% lower risk of developing heart disease than non-coffee drinkers, research shows. There used to be myths that coffee increased blood pressure but we now know that, if anything, it lowers it.
There will be different reasons for this finding, but one is that caffeine isn’t the only chemical in coffee; it comprises around 100 others that have beneficial effects. This is why both decaf and caffeinated coffee are linked with health benefits.
In particular, levels of polyphenols – a type of antioxidant found in plants – are especially high in coffee. It’s thought that they protect against inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which put a stress on the body.
Coffee is good for our gut for many reasons. Firstly, a typical filter coffee will provide 1.5g of fibre, mainly in the form of soluble fibre which feeds our microbes. This counts towards the 30g we should be having each day and is roughly the same amount as eating a tangerine.
Additionally, the polyphenols that benefit our heart also do good in our gut, energising our microbes and producing helpful chemicals. It’s worth noting that milk can reduce the polyphenol count by about a third, though, meaning you won’t receive as much of the benefit.
Our research at ZOE [a personalised nutrition platform] has also shown that coffee drinkers have a more diverse gut microbiome than non-coffee drinkers, which has been linked with good overall health, with or without milk added.
In particular, they have seven times more lawsonibacter – a bacterium that lives in the gut and exclusively feeds on the soluble fibre in coffee, breaking it down into hundreds of chemicals that likely provide health benefits.
Coffee is also a fermented drink. This is why it has rich, complex flavours, smells and tastes; fermentation also adds probiotics that do wonders for our gut health.
Coffee has some benefits for our brain. In the short term, lots of studies show that concentration, mood and energy are higher in coffee-drinkers. Caffeine acting as a stimulant will have a role in this finding, but it may also be because coffee supports the heart and blood vessels, which is known to have positive knock-on effects for our brain.
Also, grabbing a coffee has important social connotations. You do it with other people and spending time with others helps our mood and cognition. We know how important social interaction is for long-term dementia and improving mental health.
Contrary to my paper that linked coffee with pancreatic cancer, research has since shown that certain cancers, such as liver and breast, are less common among coffee drinkers. Two phytonutrients found in coffee, called cafestol and kahweol, seem to be behind this effect.
Research shows that the sweet spot for accessing these health benefits is two to four cups of coffee per day. You will still get some benefits, even if you’re only having one cup – you just won’t be hitting the magic figures, like a 15% reduction in heart disease risk.
I usually always get in three or four cups per day. I have one or two when I first get up, another mid-morning and a last one at lunch. I wouldn’t have one any later than around 2pm, so that it doesn’t interfere with my sleep.
Exactly how I drink it depends on where I am and how much time I have. At home, in London, we have a Nespresso machine, which is quick and easy when I’m in a rush. We’ve also got a Sage coffee machine which I use when I’ve got a bit more time.
When I’m in Spain or Italy, I’ll usually go out to a cafe because I know the coffee will be great. I’ll also sometimes travel with my Aeropress – it’s my favourite method if I have the time because it is always good, though it’s not always the most practical.
My lunchtime coffee is often an espresso on ice. It’s very much part of a healthy lunch and I think more people should see coffee that way, rather than drinking juices or soft drinks with their midday meal.
I generally don’t add milk to my coffee. The exception is if I’m buying a coffee on the go in London and I think it’s not going to be very good – I’ll go for a flat white or macchiato because the milk helps to cancel out the bitterness of the poor-quality coffee. I prefer cow’s milk for health reasons, though oat milk is better for the environment.
Ultimately, how you have coffee and how it impacts you is very individual. Listen to your body and drink it how you like in the comfort that it will be doing your health some good.