Benefits of Coffee – Fact or Fiction

Starting off the day with a fresh cup of coffee is one of the benefits of coffee for millions of people. Meanwhile, the health benefits of drinking coffee get widely publicized in the press, but are they real? Or, are they just public relations spin from Starbucks and the coffee industry? In this article, I decided to put down my cup of Joe, freshly brewed in Christy’s Keurig coffee maker, and take a serious look at the real pros and cons of drinking coffee.

Like tea, coffee is one of the oldest beverages in the world. Coffee is believed to have been first prepared in Ethiopia as early as the 13th century.  Although coffee may have health benefits like other plant-based foods, beware, not all beverages that label themselves as “coffee” have the same health benefits. Like every food, much depends on how it is prepared, for example:

• with cream v. plain black

or

• sweetened v. unsweetened.

Benefits of Drinking Coffee

Here are some of the benefits of coffee.

Waking Up and Being Alert

Perhaps the most widely known benefit of drinking a cup of coffee is that it can help to wake you up or make you more alert.  Of course, this is due to the caffeine it contains.  Caffeine is a stimulant, which is also considered a psychoactive substance, making it one of the most highly consumed psychoactives in the world. The caffeine from your coffee is absorbed into the bloodstream, which transports it to the brain. Once there, it blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter while simultaneously causing an increase in the production of stimulating neurotransmitters that, for some people, can improve alertness, energy, reaction times and even mood.  Of course this has a drawback of sluggishness once the caffeine wears off, leading to a cycle of coffee drinking throughout the day.

Dieting, Weight Loss and Coffee

Incredibly, caffeine is probably the most common ingredient in weight loss and diet supplements.  Theoretically, as a stimulant caffeine modestly increases metabolic rates, which is why these weight loss supplements tend to include it.  However, research also has shown that the small positive weight loss and fat burning effects of caffeine tend to diminish over time and do not have much benefit long term.  Unfortunately, a lot of people mix in sugar, milk, cream or other high calorie ingredients in  making delicious coffee drinks – think Frappuccino® blended coffee drinks from Starbucks.  Obviously, they may be delicious, but as diet aids, forget it.

As a caffeine containing drink, coffee is relatively low in calories, having just 2.5 calories in a typical cup of black, unsweetened, coffee.  Compare that to a can of caffeine containing soda, which typically has about 150 calories.  Diet sodas may be similarly low in calories, but they are loaded with artificial sweeteners, having known health risks.

Nutrients and Minerals

Coffee is derived from beans grown on coffee plants.  The coffee beans are dried and eventually eventually roasted.  The roasted beans then are either ground or packaged as roasted beans for home grinding.  Like other plant products, coffee actually has some nutritionally beneficial content, and is low in calories.  A cup of coffee has under 5 calories, until other ingredients are added.

Coffee is an excellent source of potassium, and other vitamins.  It also is a good source of antioxidants known as flavonoids.  One cup provides 116 mg of potassium, a heart healthy mineral.  It also is a particularly rich source of panthanoic acid, Riboflavin and Manganese.  Perhaps the most touted nutritional benefit of coffee is that it is rich in antioxidants.  Specifically, coffee contains catechins, which are a type of flavonoid (flavan-3-ol).  We previously wrote about Benefits of Flavonoids, including in coffee.

While one cup of coffee may not provide much of the recommended daily allowance of these vitamins and minerals, 3-4 cups really add up.  However, drinking so much coffee in a day has the detriment of all the caffeine being consumed, so most professionals recommend against drinking that much coffee in a day.  Here are the nutrition facts for a cup of coffee, prepared black:

Nutritional value of Coffee Serving Size: 1 cup, prepared with no sugar, cream etc. (237 g)
Calories	<5
% Daily Value*
Fat	0 g	0%
Cholesterol	<5 mg	0%
Sodium	4.7 mg	0%
Potassium	116 mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate	0.0 g	0%
Dietary fiber	0.0 g	0%
Total Sugars	0.0 g	0%
Protein	.3 g	1%
Vitamins
Vitamin A	0 μg	0%
Thiamine (B1)	0 mg	0%
Riboflavin (B2)	0.2 mg	11%
Niacin (B3)	0.5 mg	2%
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.6 mg	6%
Vitamin B6	0 mg	0%
Folate (B9)	4.7 μg	1%
Vitamin C	0 mg	0%
Choline	6.2 mg
Minerals
Calcium	4.7 mg	<1%
Iron	0.0 mg	0%
Magnesium	7.1 mg	2%
Manganese	0.1 mg	3%
Phosphorus	7.1 mg	1%
Zinc	0 mg	0%
* The % Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet and tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your nutritional needs.

Coffee has Flavonoids, and May Correlate with Some Health Benefits of Coffee

There are several types of flavonoids found in coffee, including quercetin, kaempferol, catechin, and chlorogenic acid. These flavonoids have been studied for their potential health benefits, including:

• Antioxidant properties: Flavonoids in coffee have been found to have antioxidant properties, which may help to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.
• Cardiovascular health: Some studies have suggested that flavonoids in coffee may help to improve cardiovascular health by reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Blood sugar control: Flavonoids in coffee may also help to improve blood sugar control by reducing insulin resistance and improving glucose metabolism.
• Neuroprotective effects: Some research has suggested that flavonoids in coffee may have neuroprotective effects, which could potentially reduce the risk of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Anti-cancer properties: Flavonoids in coffee have also been studied for their potential anti-cancer properties, particularly in relation to reducing the risk of liver and colorectal cancers.

It’s important to note that while flavonoids in coffee may have potential health benefits, the overall health effects of coffee consumption are complex and can vary depending on individual factors such as genetics, lifestyle, and other dietary habits. Additionally, excessive coffee consumption can have negative health effects, such as increasing anxiety and disrupting sleep patterns. As with any dietary component, moderation is key.

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