Yes, your coffee habit is good for you: What the health experts say

The drink doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure. There’s increasing evidence that it protects the heart, gut and mind. Here are 10 useful things to know.

For decades coffee was considered an unhealthy crutch, a beverage we were urged to remove from our daily diets for the sake of our health. However, more and more evidence has emerged to show that coffee is beneficial to our mental and physical wellbeing.

This week it was shown to protect against atrial fibrillation (A-fib), a common heart rhythm disorder that causes rapid, irregular heartbeat. And so coffee finds itself rebranded as a wellness drink.

Its status as a health and fitness tonic even gets a stamp of approval from Olympians. At the 2025 World Athletics championships in Tokyo, Jake Wightman raced his way to a silver medal over 1500m to add to the gold he won in 2022. The 31-year-old says he did it on a diet of intense training and coffee.

“You’d be hard pushed to find an elite athlete anywhere in the world who doesn’t drink coffee,” Wightman says. “It is now something that we consume when we wake up and before we train every single day to boost motivation and performance.”

So convinced is Wightman of its therapeutic benefits that he has launched his own coffee brand, Last Rep Coffee (lastrep.co.uk), “for runners and fitness fanatics” of all levels.

It’s the latest in a growing market for companies that focus on the therapeutic properties of the java bean. Another UK brand, Exhale Healthy Coffee (exhalecoffee.com) - whose chief science officer is Dr Rupy Aujla, an NHS medical doctor and founder of the Doctor’s Kitchen - says its beans have an antioxidant power that is “scientifically verified” as equivalent to 1.8kg blueberries in each cup.

It’s true that coffee is packed with more than a thousand bioactive compounds, including tannin, oils, carbohydrates and proteins, as well as antioxidants. Indeed, because we drink so much of it, coffee is one of the biggest providers of antioxidants in our diets. Nutritionists and medical experts now suggest that, far from cutting it out, many of us would be better off drinking it daily. “Coffee could be a fantastic addition to your daily routine,” Rupy says. “It’s packed full of polyphenols and there’s evidence for longevity benefits, plus it is the world’s most highly consumed nootropic [cognitive enhancer].”

Coffee contains bioactive compounds.

Alex Ruani, a researcher in nutrition science at University College London and chief science educator at the Health Sciences Academy, says: “There are so many health properties of coffee, as outlined in many studies, including one published in the Advanced Food and Nutrition Research journal.” Large population studies consistently show that regular coffee drinkers have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and a longer lifespan, says Dr Alan Desmond, an NHS consultant gastroenterologist. “Your daily coffee hit can provide a boost to overall wellbeing,” he adds.

Want to enhance your immune system? Coffee can help with that. Dr Jenna Macciochi, an immunologist at the University of Sussex, says that “coffee is rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, especially chlorogenic acids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties”, all of which support immune regulation, potentially helping to fight off colds and viruses.

Dr Federica Amati, research associate at Imperial College London’s WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Education and Training, describes coffee as an unexpected hero of a flourishing microbiome - in other words it’s good for your gut. “In one of our studies we identified 115 species of gut bacteria that were positively linked to coffee consumption,” she says. “That gave us a fascinating glimpse into how coffee can help to shape a healthier microbiome.”

Wightman says one of the hidden joys of coffee is that the rituals around it can improve your state of mind. “I take coffee before training for performance gains, but at other times it’s about enjoying it and catching up with friends over a cup. It definitely helps my mood and outlook.”

Researchers at the University of Warwick recently confirmed in the journal Scientific Reports that people who drink coffee regularly really are in a better mood after a cup. Amati says she enjoys one or two cups of coffee in the morning and one after lunch, often with friends, all in the knowledge that it is doing her some good. “Coffee has been demonised in recent years as bad for our health but in fact we now know it’s quite the opposite,” she says.

Here’s what you need to know about your daily brew.

HOW MUCH COFFEE DO WE NEED TO DRINK FOR HEALTH BENEFITS?

The European Food Safety Agency recommends that adults consume no more than 400mg caffeine, approximately four regular homemade cups of coffee, a day. Most research points to three or four cups a day as optimal for health gains. “As with most things, balance is key,” Amati says. “Too much caffeine can tip things the other way - think jitteriness, disrupted sleep, anxiety and digestive discomfort.” Of course, what you add to your coffee matters too: it’s best to avoid sugars or flavoured syrups.

HOW DOES COFFEE HELP THE HEART?

The new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that coffee can help to protect against A-fib, which is associated with a risk of heart attacks and stroke. Researchers at the University of California and University of Adelaide reported that a cup of caffeinated coffee a day reduced A-fib by 39 per cent. “Coffee increases physical activity, which is known to reduce atrial fibrillation,” says Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, and senior author of the paper. “Caffeine is also a diuretic, which could potentially reduce blood pressure and, in turn, lessen A-fib risk. Several other ingredients in coffee also have anti-inflammatory properties that could have positive effects.”

A cup of coffee a day an reduce the risk of A-fib.

In January Lu Qi, professor of public health at Tulane University, led a study of 40,725 adults, published in the European Heart Journal. “Research so far suggests that drinking coffee doesn’t raise the risk of cardiovascular disease and it seems to lower the risk of some chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes,” Qi says. His findings suggested that drinking coffee in the morning with a midday cut-off point protects the heart better than all-day coffee drinking. “A possible explanation is that consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt circadian rhythms and levels of hormones such as melatonin,” he says. “This in turn leads to changes in cardiovascular risk factors such as inflammation and blood pressure.”

Does the way you brew coffee make a difference to the benefits?

It’s not all good news for coffee beans and their effects on heart health. Two chemicals they contain - cafestol and kahweol - have been shown to raise levels of damaging LDL cholesterol in the blood. They remain present in any coffee that hasn’t been filtered, including moka pot, espresso and cafetiere coffee, although filtering or using pods and metal capsules lined with filter paper will remove them. A study in the journal Open Heart three years ago suggested that espresso, boiled and plunger coffee all produced increases in blood cholesterol levels compared with filtered coffee. “Be mindful that unfiltered coffee is less beneficial for heart health so choose filtered options whenever possible,” Amati says.

CAN COFFEE REALLY ENHANCE YOUR FITNESS?

Performance benefits come mostly from the caffeine in coffee, which, according to a recent study in the journal Sports Medicine, stimulates the central nervous system and blocks the release of adenosine, a chemical that promotes sleepiness and fatigue, with the result being a stimulating effect. This prompts the release of hormones such as dopamine and epinephrine, which enhance mood and alertness.

There are benefits to drinking a coffee before a workout

Caffeine can also help muscles to exert more force by mobilising the calcium needed to produce powerful contractions. A statement by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) says there are moderate benefits to drinking coffee (or taking caffeine from other sources) before strength training, sprinting, jumping and throwing performances but the biggest and most consistent gains come when it is consumed before endurance activities such as cycling, swimming and running. “Sports nutritionists tell us the caffeine needs about an hour to be released so that you really feel the benefits in training,” Wightman says.

HOW MUCH COFFEE SHOULD YOU DRINK BEFORE A WORKOUT?

Amounts needed to produce a fitness boost vary according to individuals and how much coffee you are used to drinking, but as a guide the ISSN says you will need 3-6mg of caffeine per kg of your body weight. For someone weighing 57kg or about 9st, that equates to 170mg of caffeine - about the amount in a double espresso or a large black coffee. Wightman says he drinks a double espresso 60 minutes before training to help him focus on the workout ahead. “My motivation and alertness change when I have my first coffee of the morning and I stop feeling so lethargic,” he says.

You don’t need to be as speedy as him to benefit. A 2024 study of recreational runners with 5km times of slower than 25 minutes showed that those who took 300mg of caffeine - the equivalent of two double espressos - beforehand ran an average 17 seconds faster over 5km than when they took no caffeine.

IS COFFEE GOOD FOR GUT HEALTH?

“Coffee is full of polyphenols, those lovely plant compounds that help feed the ‘good’ bacteria in your gut microbiome, and it contains some fibre too,” Amati says. Last year a study of more than 22,000 people by her colleagues at Zoe Nutrition, published in Nature Microbiology, identified 115 species of beneficial bacteria that were linked to drinking coffee. “Drinking coffee increased a key beneficial microbe called Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus,” Amati says. “And it was six to eight times more abundant in coffee drinkers compared to non-drinkers.” A 2024 review by the University of Texas and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, published in the journal Nutrients, also confirmed that a moderate intake of coffee - up to four cups a day - increased good gut bacteria and reduced levels of bad bacteria.

CAN I GET THE SAME BENEFITS FROM DECAF?

Removing caffeine from coffee involves soaking or steaming unroasted coffee beans until the caffeine dissolves or their pores are opened so that the caffeine can be extracted. There are different ways of doing this. Some decaffeinating methods use water or liquid carbon dioxide but others involve using synthetic chemicals such as ethyl acetate. Coffee aficionados believe the process damages the flavour of the coffee, while others argue that the minuscule amounts of chemicals you get in a serving won’t have an impact on health. Indeed, in their coffee studies, King’s College London researchers found positive gut health benefits held true with decaf varieties.

“The gut health benefits are seen in decaffeinated coffee too, suggesting the benefits to coffee are not solely driven by caffeine but by other compounds found in the coffee bean itself,” Amati says. “Some people with IBS-D [irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea] might find coffee worsens their symptoms, so listen to your gut to choose your routine.”

ARE SOME BEANS BETTER FOR US THAN OTHERS?

Lightly roasted arabica beans are the healthiest. Picture: iStock.

Not all coffee beans are created equal. The arabica bean has traditionally dominated the global coffee market, accounting for 60 to 70 per cent of the world’s coffee consumption, but the more climate-resilient robusta bean is now making its mark. Many coffee chains use a blend of the two beans but which type should you choose if you buy your own? A study in the European Food Research and Technology journal found that the robusta bean contains up to double the amount of caffeine as the arabica bean, and while robusta beans have been shown to contain double the amount of antioxidants too, the difference diminished after intense roasting.

“Arabica beans tend to have more antioxidants and a gentler caffeine hit than robusta, while lighter roasts usually preserve more of those beneficial compounds,” Amati says. “For gut health, a good-quality lightly roasted arabica is probably the kindest brew.”

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS IN YOUR FAVOURITE ORDER?

A survey by Which? found that a single espresso at some coffee chains has six times as much caffeine as others, so you might get a case of the jitters depending on where you drink it. Typically a single shot espresso contains 30-180mg caffeine, a filter or brewed coffee 95-270mg per serving, a coffee pod 40-200mg caffeine and a cup of instant coffee 30-90mg caffeine. Be aware that the one to ten strength rating that appears on many packets of coffee denotes the strength of roast rather than caffeine content. The higher the number, the darker the roast and stronger the flavour. A light roast with a one to three rating might well contain as much caffeine as a punchier, dark-roasted seven to eight coffee.

WHAT’S THE UPPER LIMIT?

The British Heart Foundation says moderate amounts of caffeine - that’s about four to five cups of tea or coffee a day - “shouldn’t be a problem for most people” and “shouldn’t be detrimental to your heart health, affect your cholesterol levels or heart rhythm”. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine and can experience palpitations, the BHF says, and you should consider reducing your intake if this is the case. The NHS advice for pregnant women is to consume no more than 200mg caffeine (two cups of coffee) a day and caffeine can also interact with some medications, so always check with your doctor before consuming coffee alongside prescribed drugs. Since caffeine is a stimulant, drinking coffee too close to bedtime can adversely affect sleep patterns.

SHOULD INSTANT COFFEE BE OFF THE SHOPPING LIST?

Can’t afford a $5.50 latte? Instant coffee has benefits, too.

We dismiss it as cheap and less tasty but Ruani says instant coffee is not without its virtues. Indeed, she drinks it herself for its health benefits.

“A lot of people are surprised to learn that research shows instant coffee has substantially higher concentrations of beneficial polyphenols and antioxidants than fresh coffee,” she says.

“Instant coffee also has nearly twice as much soluble fibre as filter coffee, which could help some good gut bacteria to thrive if you drink it regularly.”

Amati says that some polyphenols can be lost in processing, but overall instant coffee still supports the growth of good gut bacteria.

“The key is quality - choose a good instant coffee with minimal additives and it can absolutely be part of a gut-friendly diet,” she says.

Studies at Coventry University’s School of Life Sciences show that consuming approximately a dessertspoon of instant coffee granules dissolved in water 60 minutes before exercise can help people to work out harder for longer.

This article originally appeared on The Times.

Originally published as Yes, your coffee habit is good for you: What the health experts say