Whether you drink coffee or not, it’s one of America’s most favorite beverages with 67% of Americans who drink coffee every day. Some people consume one cup in the morning to start their day, while others choose to drink coffee throughout their day to get them through their daily grind.
Coffee is also known to be a quick energy boost for most, but research shares that there’s more to it than what people may know. Studies have discovered that drinking coffee also comes with a few health benefits as well.
Gastroenterologist and clinical associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health in New York City, Lisa Ganjhu, DO, says, “Studies have found drinking coffee comes with a number of health benefits. “Moderate coffee consumption may reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, or some types of cancer.”
Moreover, coffee may even be beneficial to the gut microbiome, which is the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live within our digestive tract and impact our overall health.
According to research, these are some of the potential positive effects that coffee has on gut health, and how one can actually reap the benefits.
The Health Benefits of Coffee
All around the world, scientists have been studying the health effects of coffee for years, and they have found quite a number of positive results.
In July 2022, a study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, which explained that coffee consumption is actually linked to a lower risk of noncancer and cancer-related deaths.
Meanwhile, another study in the BMC Public Health journal published in June 2021 studied the coffee habits of almost 50,000 people. What they found was that drinking coffee had a significant lowered risk of chronic liver disease.
Moreover, other research has found that coffee intake is also linked to a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
Medical director of GI motility at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, Ali Rezaie, MD, says, “So the question is, these are all very different diseases with different pathways of development, so what can link these together? One answer is potentially the gut microbiome.”
What Research Says About Coffee and Gut Health
Recently, researchers have been observing more ways that the gut microbiome actually impacts people’s health.
Researchers have learned that microbiome is made up of bacteria – which is potentially both helpful and harmful to our health. When someone is healthy, it means both kinds of microbes can coexist in the body without having any issues. However, when there is a disturbance to that balance, the harmful bacteria tends to make us more prone to sickness and disease.
According to Dr. Rezaie, “What’s important to understand is that these microbes constantly communicate with each other, and what they produce affects us and what we do affects them, including what we eat and drink. And more and more, we’re understanding that the health and balance of the gut microbiome also affects health and disease.”
One particular area of research in this field is its potential effect on the microbiome.
One example of this was in a small study published in the Nutrients journal back in May 2020 that found how regular coffee consumption is linked to changes in some intestinal microbiota groups where dietary polyphenol and caffeine can play a role.
Meanwhile, in another small abstract, which included 34 people, was presented at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting back in 2019 found that for those regular coffee drinkers, their microbiomes were significantly healthier than those who drank no or little coffee.
Now, scientists are working hard to better understand the potential mechanisms of these coffee benefits on the gut. Although there are also some theories already in place.
One theory is coffee’s known role as a stimulant. “Coffee gets the gut moving, and if you ask a lot of people, it makes them go to the bathroom. Whenever there is a stimulant in the gut, that movement of the gut does change the microbiome generally in the right direction,” Rezaie explains.
He also likens it to a stream of water. He continues, “If the water flow is nice and continuous, the water stays clear and even drinkable. But if the stream becomes stagnant, then bacteria starts to grow and overpopulate.”
This can lead to bacterial overgrowth in the gut, leading to illnesses and disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Rezaie says, “So one potentially beneficial effect that coffee has is helping the stream move along.”
In addition, Rezaie also explains that coffee also has phytochemicals which are helpful to the gut and also promotes growth of good bacteria. And even though research is still early, he also shares ‘it’s important to watch.’
He adds, “This is where the research is going and potentially it’s possible that the past beneficial effects of coffee for all these studies that we see is exerted, at least in part, through gut microbiome.”
How to Enjoy the Health Benefits of Coffee
It’s important to understand that when it comes to your coffee intake, how much you drink and what you add to it can also play a large role on it’s health benefits.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the maximum daily recommendation of caffeine is 400 milligrams, which is equivalent to around four cups of coffee.
Meanwhile, Dr. Rezai also shares that some studies show that the optimal benefit of coffee is usually seen at around two to three cups a day. Rezai says, “Beyond that, it starts to wear off, so generally, that’s what I recommend. But if you want to have just one cup in the morning, that’s fine, too. I wouldn’t go beyond four because it is a stimulant and can affect the sleep cycle.”
Due to this particular reason, he also recommends not drinking coffee at least eight to nine hours before you go to bed. But for some people, they should even avoid caffeine completely.
Dr. Ganjhu explains, “Those with conditions that are exacerbated by caffeine should avoid coffee. Also those sensitive to caffeine or those who get uncomfortable with coffee-induced jitters.”
As for those that can handle coffee without any issues, they should also be aware of what they may be adding to their coffee. If they prefer coffee with sugar and milk, it’s usually fine, says Rezaie. But he also adds that there should be a limit to the amount of sugar added, with around just 1 to 2 teaspoons maximum.
He adds, “That’s about 4 grams of sugar, and in comparison, a caramel macchiato has about 16 grams of sugar. So obviously if you’re drinking a beverage that high in sugar, you’re defeating the purpose and negating any beneficial effects.”
In conclusion, when it comes to how the coffee itself is brewed, research shows that there isn’t too much difference to the health benefits and the way your coffee is made.
“It looks like it’s quite universal in studies, meaning that instant coffee, drip coffee, or filtered coffee, they all appear to have beneficial effects. So just drink it up, whichever way you like,” says Rezaie.
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