Have Another Cup! 5 Surprising Health Benefits Of Coffee

Many of my patients come to their first appointment with a clear “non-negotiable:” “I’m here to lose weight, gain energy, eat better, but I won’t give up bacon.” Bacon is big, followed by ice cream and coffee.

I never understand the coffee reference. Coffee is, in fact, an antioxidant powerhouse. It’s most likely the greatest source of antioxidants consumed globally — probably because as a daily habit, more people drink coffee than eat broccoli, but also because compounds in coffee called chlorogenic acids are pretty potent! Need more convincing? Read on.

1. Coffee can help prevent and reverse liver disease.

Your liver absolutely loves your coffee habit. Coffee may reduce the risk of liver cancer, and death from liver cirrhosis, but more remarkably, coffee may help in the prevention and reversal of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that impacts one-third of Americans and involves the deposit of fat in the liver due to poor lifestyle choices. If it’s not caught early, it can lead to more devastating health consequences.

2. Coffee can help you live longer.

The studies are strong and most of them show the more you drink, the longer you live. It doesn’t always matter if the coffee was full strength or decaf. For example, one study showed men who drank six or more cups of coffee a day had a 10 percent lower risk of death and women who drank the same amount had a 15 percent reduction. Authors noted that many other studies showed inverse associations between coffee consumption and diabetes, stroke and death due to inflammatory diseases.

3. Coffee plays a role in the prevention of many cancers.

Coffee helps prevent cancer, not cause it. This was the 2016 conclusion of the World Health Organization after rigorous reviews of the data. The group indicated that it could “find no conclusive evidence of carcinogenic effects of drinking coffee.” In fact, studies show coffee may play a role in the prevention of cancers of the breast and colon and may also help to reduce the risk of recurrence in survivors of both. Additionally, coffee consumption has been linked with reduction of cancers of the oral cavity and skin.

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Author: Kristin Kirkpatrick