Your Daily Brew: The Good News in Your Cup

Coffee is the only beverage in the world that has bagged decades of research to its credit due to its multifaceted impact on health and wellbeing. Every day consumption of this popular drink is estimated to be over 2 billion cups, especially in the Western countries. ⁽¹⁾

The journey of these evergreen shrubs started from Africa and replaced the staple beer and wine of the Europeans by 17th century. This impacted not just their taste buds and mental and physical activity but also heightened the intellectual acuity and readiness to work. Hence, coffee was suited to be the drink of Industrial Revolution. Thomas Jefferson, a pivotal American Founding Father and the third president of United States called coffee “the favourite beverage of the civilised world” in an 1824 letter. The reality still remains unchanged for over two centuries after the letter.⁽³⁾

Historic evidences reveal that this black bean was valued in Arabian Peninsula for its medicinal properties and was prescribed as medicine for multiple ailments ranging from headaches to even a complex diagnosis such as depression. This was carried forward by the Europeans, mainly in Germany and France, to cure various digestive disorders, relieve digestion and also as a stimulant, making coffee a unique medicine in their apothecaries.⁽²⁾

Despite going through a series of scrutiny and clinical trials, this wonder bean has always succeeded in astonishing the medical community. The experimental approach to decoding coffee’s health impacts can be traced back to the 18th century the sceptic King Gustav III of Sweden and his father, Adolf Frederick, who imposed hefty taxes and penalized the subjects for the consumption of coffee. This was followed by a strictly controlled experiment of two identical twins sentenced for a crime. Their death penalties were reduced to life imprisonment if they participated in his study where one twin consumed three pots of coffee daily while the other consumed the same amount of tea. The results were evident when the coffee consuming twin lived longer than his tea drinking counterpart. This conclusion ultimately led to the lift of coffee ban in Sweden.⁽³⁾

Current day studies and meta-analyses have established the positive impact of coffee in the general population and this has alleviated the image of coffee from a luxury stimulant beverage to that of a health promoting drink, when consumed within the right recommended levels. The benefits include increased physical activity that inevitably leads to lower body mass index, thereby decreasing the risk of diabetes and subsequent decrease in the risk of death due to cardiovascular disorders. Moreover, drinking coffee has been linked to decrease frailty amongst the elderly, thus aid in avoiding catastrophic falls.⁽⁴⁾

Multiple bioactive compounds including caffeine, chlorogenic acid, trigonelline and magnesium has been identified which helps in boosting the immunity, reduce inflammation through their antioxidant properties and decrease lipid and glycaemic levels. Coffee consumption has been found to lower the plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and E-selectin, playing an inevitable role in protecting from plaques responsible for myocardial ischemia. ⁽⁵⁾

The presence of phytochemicals including quercetin, cafesterol and norharman in coffee is assumed to reduce oxidative stress and reduce radical formation thereby attribute to the anticancer properties, both chemo preventive and chemotherapeutic mechanisms hence decreased risks of various cancers including colorectal carcinoma, renal carcinoma, prostate carcinoma and endometrial carcinoma.^(1,6)

Moderate consumption of coffee (<4 cups/day) has been observed to alter the gut microbiome promoting the growth of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which are linked to better digestion while, high consumption (>5 cups/day) has been attributed to an increased risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).⁽⁷⁾

Caffeine is found to be a stimulator of the central nervous system (CNS) antagonising adenosine receptors in the brain, eventually playing a neuroprotective role, and delays the development of Parkinson Disease (PD).⁽⁸⁾Additionally, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect also helps alleviate the risk of developing depression.⁽⁹⁾

Most of the evidences listed here comes from observational studies, and the consistent findings across worldwide settings improves their credibility. Future exploration with genetic studies will help unravel the specific subgroups that could help the most or require attention and caution. In summary, coffee when consumed in moderation has benefitted diverse populations and continue to be a health promoting drink worldwide.

References

1. Safe S, Kothari J, Hailemariam A, Upadhyay S, Davidson LA, Chapkin RS. Health Benefits of Coffee Consumption for Cancer and Other Diseases and Mechanisms of Action. Vol. 24, International Journal of Molecular Sciences. MDPI; 2023.
2. Kobylińska Z, Biesiadecki M, Kuna E, Galiniak S, Mołoń M. Coffee as a Source of Antioxidants and an Elixir of Youth. Vol. 14, Antioxidants. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI); 2025.
3. Ungvari Z, Kunutsor SK. Coffee consumption and cardiometabolic health: a comprehensive review of the evidence. Vol. 46, GeroScience. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH; 2024. p. 6473–510.
4. Farraj A, Akeredolu TJ, Wijeyesekera A, Mills CE. Coffee and Cardiovascular Health: A Review of Literature. Vol. 16, Nutrients . Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI); 2024.
5. Ruan P, Yang M, Lv X, Shen K, Chen Y, Li H, et al. Metabolic shifts during coffee consumption refresh the immune response: insight from comprehensive multiomics analysis. MedComm (Beijing). 2024 Jul 1;5(7).
6. Oyelere AM, Kok DE, Bos D, Gunter MJ, Ferrari P, Keski-Rahkonen P, et al. Coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer recurrence and all-cause mortality. Int J Cancer. 2024 Jun 15;154(12):2054–63.
7. Saygili S, Hegde S, Shi XZ. Effects of Coffee on Gut Microbiota and Bowel Functions in Health and Diseases: A Literature Review. Vol. 16, Nutrients. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI); 2024.
8. Zhao Y, Lai Y, Konijnenberg H, Huerta JM, Vinagre-Aragon A, Sabin JA, et al. Association of Coffee Consumption and Prediagnostic Caffeine Metabolites With Incident Parkinson Disease in a Population-Based Cohort. Neurology. 2024 Mar 21;102(8).
9. Zupo R, De Nucci S, Jazayeri S, Torabynasab K. Association between dietary caffeine, coffee, and tea consumption and depressive symptoms in adults: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of observational studies.