Neither Black Nor White: More Research Into The Health Effects Of Coffee

The good news about the health benefits of coffee remains strong. By and large, the evidence continues to support a daily coffee habit as beneficial to your health. As Scientific American magazine recently summed it up, “In 2026 alone, studies across disciplines have found that coffee could reduce dementia risk, protect your liver, and improve your gut microbiome. Last year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration labeled black coffee as ‘healthy.’” Given that ⅔ of US adults drink coffee daily, that’s good news for the health of our country. Of course, the effects of coffee, both its caffeine and the myriad other chemicals in it, can affect individuals in different ways, but generally speaking, drinking your daily cup of Joe appears to be a habit you can continue to embrace. Coffee not only contains caffeine but includes antioxidants that can reduce inflammation and help lower your risk for such conditions as dementia and heart disease. A recent post from Johns Hopkins Medicine outlined a broad range of positive health benefits from coffee, including better glucose processing, a lower risk for Parkinson’s, and even improved longevity. To find out more, take out your mug and look here.

Adding to this positive coffee news is a recent study published in Nature Communications. Looking at the connection between the gut microbiome and coffee consumption, it appears that by changing the activity of microbes in the gut, coffee may influence your mood and brain function, leading to lower stress and depression, with measurable changes seen in gut bacteria.  In essence, it appears that coffee may influence the communication between your digestive system and your brain. But what’s perhaps even more interesting is that it seems that this impact from coffee on the gut-brain connection may not be due to caffeine. In this study, participants initially abstained from all coffee for 2 weeks, and then were divided into 2 groups, half drinking decaf coffee and the other half drinking regular coffee (no one knew which group they were in). At the end of the study, those participants who drank decaf showed significant improvement on 2 different memory tests, while those who drank regular coffee showed no such improvement. This suggests that many of the other chemicals in coffee (including the polyphenols) may be responsible for changes in gut microbes, leading to positive brain effects. While this study was small and more research is needed to understand the coffee-gut-brain connection, it does suggest that “caffeine is just the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the health benefits of coffee. So fill up your cup and find out more here.

Two additional studies, this time reporting on negative health effects associated with coffee consumption, stand in contrast to the previously reported positive news, but for reasons having more to do with the way coffee is consumed rather than with the actual coffee itself. First, a study examining what coffee drinkers put into their coffee has raised some eyebrows, with headlines like “Americans Are Turning Morning Coffee Into Calorie Bombs.” According to this study in The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, calorie consumption from a cup of coffee went up 40% between 2003 and 2018 (from 43 calories to 60 calories per cup). The biggest culprit in this calorie surge was the use of non-dairy creamers, now widely available in coffee shops and on grocery shelves. While different non-dairy creamers have different ingredients, making it difficult to determine whether and how these creamers affect the health benefits of coffee, there’s no confusion that increasing your calorie count per cup, especially if you consume multiple cups per day, is not great news. Moreover, if consumers also add sugar or sugar substitutes, this may further erode the health benefits of their drink. If you’re looking for additional flavor or added texture for your coffee, you may want to try making your own healthier version of a creamer, or add natural flavors such as cinnamon, pure vanilla, or a sprinkle of cocoa powder.

One other study examined the negative health consequences of drinking your coffee extremely hot. In this study, recently published in The International Journal of Cancer, researchers examined the coffee drinking habits of nearly one million people and found that drinking your coffee (or tea) at a scalding hot temperature may significantly increase the risk of getting esophageal cancer. In fact, you could elevate your risk of being diagnosed with this cancer due to a very hot drink 3-fold. Repeatedly drinking very hot drinks may damage the lining of the esophagus, leading to chronic inflammation and making the tissue more susceptible to cancer. So, a suggestion? If the coffee cup is too hot to drink without a sleeve, then it’s too hot for your throat. So let it cool, take your time, and read more here.