What does science think about coffee?
Written by: Svenja Schindler | July 14, 2023 | Reading time 3 min
We asked ourselves: How much coffee is actually healthy and why do we wake up from our midday slump after a delicious cup of coffee? We clarify contradictory information and explain the current scientific studies on the effects of coffee.
THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT COFFEE AT A GLANCE
- Coffee has many proven positive effects on the healthy adult body
- An intake of up to 400 mg of caffeine daily or 2-5 cups of coffee per day is unproblematic
- Coffee is an important source of secondary plant substances
- Caffeine cannot sleep deficit balance
WHAT DOES SCIENCE THINK ABOUT COFFEE?
Anyone who searches the Internet for the sentence beginning “Kaffee macht …” will receive additional search suggestions such as “tired”, “sick”, or “beautiful”. We find this quite confusing. However, this information on the Internet also shows that there is a lot of misinformation and contradictory information about coffee.
For many years people were warned about coffee and many Myths about harmful health effects were told. However, new and current studies say something different and have thoroughly improved the image of coffee. They even confirm that regular, but of course not excessive, coffee consumption has a health-promoting effect.
Recent studies have shown that coffee has a similar health-promoting effect to other vegetables and fruits. Plant-based foods contain health-promoting secondary plant substances. Coffee is a plant product and has comparable secondary plant substances to tea, vegetables or fruit, so it is no less healthy. Coffee stands out in one respect: among people who drink coffee regularly, coffee is the most important dietary source of secondary plant substances such as phenolic acids and polyphenols, even compared to green tea in Japan1.
A 2015 study linked high coffee consumption to a 20% lower risk of skin cancer. Specifically, the lower risk was seen in participants who drank 4 or more cups of coffee per day. The protective effect appeared to increase with higher consumption, from 1 cup or fewer to 4 cups of coffee or more2.
HOW MUCH IS THE HEALTH-PROMOTING AMOUNT OF COFFEE?
For a healthy adult, an intake of up to 400 mg of caffeine spread over the day, i.e. about 4 cups of coffee, is safe3. This corresponds to either 4 cups of coffee, 5 cups of espresso or 8 cups of black tea. Studies have shown that the consumption of 1 to 5 cups of coffee per day is associated with a lower mortality rate in non-smokers4.
NOW IN DETAIL, THE IMPORTANT COMPONENT CAFFEINE!
Important studies prove the positive effects of coffee on the human body. To better understand these studies, let's take a look at how coffee is absorbed into the body.
In the morning after getting up, before an important meeting or after lunch, coffee helps us to feel more alert and focused. Caffeine plays an important role in this. Caffeine is a natural chemical compound that is found in coffee and cocoa beans and tea leaves, among other things. When caffeinated drinks or foods are taken orally, it is quickly and completely absorbed by the human body. The effects of caffeine usually begin 15 to 30 minutes after consumption and can last for several hours.
Caffeine is the subject of numerous studies and has many effects on the human body. Studies have shown a positive effect on attention and the speed of thought processes5. Caffeine leads to an acceleration of heart rate, metabolism and breathing. In addition, blood pressure and body temperature rise slightly. The blood vessels expand and blood flow to all organs increases. When you are tired, caffeine has a stimulating effect and has a short-term positive effect on alertness and performance. However, caffeine cannot compensate for a lack of sleep6.
OUR CONCLUSION…
The effects of coffee and caffeine are diverse and, according to much speculation, are not harmful to health. According to the precautionary principle, current science recommends a maximum intake of around 400 mg of caffeine per day, or considers 2-5 cups of coffee per day to be unproblematic6.
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Sources:
1Kolb H, Kempf K, Martin S. (2020): Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled? Nutrients. 20;12(6):1842.
2Loftfield E, Freedman ND, Graubard BI, et al. (2015): Coffee drinking and cutaneous melanoma risk in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. J Natl Cancer Inst.; 107
3Nieber K. (2017): The Impact of Coffee on Health. Planta Med 83(16):1256-1263.
4Thomas DR, Hodges ID. (2019): Dietary Research on Coffee: Improving Adjustment for Confounding. 26;4(1)
5aerzteblatt (2014): Caffeine strengthens long-term memory in study.
6Society for Nutritional Therapy and Prevention (FETeV) (2022): Coffee and caffeine – role in daily nutrition.
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