Coffee is one of life’s simple pleasures. I truly look forward to a warm cup of coffee when I wake up in the morning. I’m not alone. About 66% of Americans drink an average of three cups of coffee a day.

But Can’t Coffee Be Bad for You?

There’s always been a perception that coffee is bad. Quite a few studies in the ‘70s and ‘80s linked coffee to cancer and heart issues. One of the most influential studies was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1981 linking coffee to pancreatic cancer. The study was noteworthy enough to be cited in over 600 subsequent studies. Later (much later) we found out the study was flawed. Early studies on coffee failed to distinguish between coffee drinkers and smokers, leading to incorrect conclusions about coffee’s risk to heart health and cancer.

What Better Research Says About Coffee

More recent research has helped us realize that coffee, in the right amounts, is a good thing. In 2012, the New England Journal of Medicine published the largest study of its kind examining the association of coffee drinking with total and cause-specific mortality. The study tracked coffee consumption of more than 400,000 men and women over a timespan of 13 years. After adjusting for smoking status and other potential cofounders, the researchers identified a significant inverse association between coffee consumption and mortality. The study clearly stated that people who drink 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day live longer.

In 2017, The British Medical Journal published a major review of all the published research on coffee. This was a big study that included 201 meta-analyses and 67 interventional studies. The researchers examined studies on the relationship between coffee consumption and every health condition you could imagine.

The study concluded that coffee consumption is generally safe at usual intakes of 3 to 4 cups a day. They also found that, compared to non-coffee drinkers, people who drank 3 cups a day reduced their risk for mortality from cardiovascular disease by 19% and risk of stroke by 30%. Coffee drinking was also associated with lower risk of prostate cancer, endometrial cancer, melanoma, oral cancer, leukemia, non-melanoma skin cancer, and liver cancer.

New Research on Alzheimer’s

This brings us to some new research. A study published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined data from 131,821 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow Up Study. They found that 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day was associated with an 18% lower risk of dementia and better cognitive performance over time. The study held true even for people genetically predisposed to dementia. This is huge, because there aren’t a lot of things we can do to help with dementia.

It’s the Antioxidants

Most of us drink coffee to wake up or for a boost of energy, but the benefits of coffee go far beyond the obvious. Coffee is our biggest source of phytonutrients. Gram for gram, coffee ranks behind most berries. But in the real world, where most people drink several large cups of coffee a day, coffee is our primary source of antioxidants.

One thing to keep in mind as we discuss these studies—a cup equals 8 ounces. But most of us drink 12- or even 16-ounce cups of coffee. So, 4 cups in research will usually equate to 2 or 3 of our conventional cups of coffee.

Coffee Can Optimize Your Workout

Want to get more out of your workout? Drinking coffee half an hour before your workout will allow you to perform better and increase fat burning.

Don’t Overdo It

Negative effects of coffee seem to show up when we cross the 4-cup threshold. Beyond this level of caffeine consumption, some people experience headaches, insomnia, nervousness, irritability, frequent urination, and fast heartbeat.

Of course, all of us have different tolerances for caffeine. Some people are sensitive to caffeine and start to encounter negative side effects after a cup or two. Others of us can handle more than 4 cups without any problems. Bottom line—if you experience headaches, nervousness, fast heartbeat, or irritability, cut back on your coffee.

Avoid Coffee After Noon

Unless you plan to stay up all night to study for a test or drive to Chicago at 10 pm, avoid caffeine consumption after noon. Drinking coffee later in the day impairs melatonin secretion, which prevents you from falling asleep. Caffeine can have an active effect on your body for up to 6 hours. Protect your sleep and stay away from coffee after noon.

Avoid it if You’re Pregnant

Don’t even think about drinking coffee if you’re pregnant. Caffeine crosses the placenta. Even moderate amounts of coffee during pregnancy can lead to smaller birth size and increased childhood obesity.

Coffee You Shouldn’t Drink

There are several types of coffee you should avoid. They all fall under the same category—coffeehouse-crafted drinks full of sugar.

A Grande (16 oz) Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks has 340 calories that include 40 grams of added sugar. Combining a large sugar buzz with caffeine will only leave you crashing a few hours later.

Enjoy Your Coffee

Enjoy your coffee black, or add some heavy whipping cream, half-and-half, or whole milk. Stay away from skim, which is nothing but water lying about the fact that it’s milk.

Coffee offers a lot of great health benefits. In fact, the benefits of coffee outweigh the benefits of not drinking coffee. Stay around the 3- to 4-cup mark for the best benefits. Don’t drink it after noon. Consume it before a workout to get amped up. Stay completely away if you’re pregnant. And avoid the sugary stuff.

Stay Strong and Keep it Simple,

Bo Railey