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Coffee and Health

Decades of independent scientific evidence show that drinking coffee - both regular and decaffeinated - is associated with significant health benefits.

Everything you need to know about caffeine

Get the facts about decaffeinated coffee


Check out the highlights of scientific research and evidence of coffee’s unique health benefits related to:

 

Coffee & Longevity

SCIENCE: In a review of 21 prospective studies totaling over 10 million participants, drinking one cup of coffee (whether decaf or with caffeine) per day was associated with a 3% reduced risk of death, and drinking 3 cups of coffee was associated with a 13% reduced risk of death.

SOURCECaffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption and risk of all-cause mortality: a dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies by Li et al., Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 


SCIENCE: A study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) looked at over 500,000 people, and found that drinking coffee, whether decaf or with caffeine, was associated with reduced risk for death from various causes. 

SOURCE: ‘Coffee Drinking and Mortality in 10 European Countries: A Multinational Cohort Study’ by Gunter et al in Annals of Internal Medicine (2017) [Funded by IARC]


SCIENCE:  A study of over 500,000 people, spanning a decade, found that drinking coffee, whether caffeinated or decafeinated, was inversely associated with mortality, including among those drinking 8 or more cups per day. 

SOURCE: ‘Association of Coffee Drinking with Mortality by Genetic Variation in Caffeine Metabolism’ by Loftfield, Cornelis, Caporaso, Yu, Sinha and Freedman, in JAMA Intern Med (2018)


SCIENCE: In a large study looking at over 400,000 people, coffee consumption was associated with lower likelyhood of death from disease.

SOURCE: ‘Association of Coffee Drinking with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality’ by Freedman, Park, Abnet, Hollenbeck and Sinha in The New England Journal of Medicine (2012)

 

Coffee & Cancer

SCIENCE: A meta analysis of human prospective studies showed that drinking both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee was associated with reduced risk of liver cancer.

SOURCECoffee, including caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis by Kennedy OJ, Roderick P, Buchanan R, et al, BMJ Open


SCIENCE: Coffee consumption may offer protective benefits for post-menopausal breast cancer. Consumption of four cups per day was associated with a 10% reduction in postmenopausal cancer risk.

SOURCE: Coffee Intake Decreases Risk of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis on Prospective Cohort Studies’ by Lafranconi, et. al in Nutrients (2018)


SCIENCE: Coffee drinking is associated with a lower risk of colon cancer in women. A study showed that there was a 20% reduced risk of colon cancer in women who drank more htan 3 cups of coffee day, compared to those who drank less than one or less.

SOURCE: Coffee drinking and colorectal cancer and its sub-sites: a pooled analysis of 8 cohort studies in Japan by Kashino, et al.  for the Research Group for the Development and Evaluation of Cancer Prevention Strategies in Japan (2018)


SCIENCE: Drinking coffee may prevent recurrence of liver cancer in adults

SOURCE: ‘Protective effects of coffee consumption following liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma’ by Wiltberger, Lange, et al, in Zeitschrift fur Gastroenterologie (2018)
 


Coffee & Diabetes

SCIENCE: Studies show that coffee drinkers are at a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90-95% of diabetes cases in the world. They also show that people who drink four or more cups of coffee daily have a 50% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. 

SOURCE: ‘Coffee components inhibit amyloid formation of human islet amyloid polypeptide in vitro: possible link between coffee consumption and diabetes/ by Cheng et al, in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2011)


SCIENCE: Cafestol, a compound found in coffee, could help to stave off type 2 diabetes. The compound has been found to increase insulin secretion, reduce fasting glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity in mice. 

SOURCE: ‘Cafestol, a bioactive substance in coffee, has anti-diabetic properties in KKAy mice’ by Mellbye et al, in the Journal of Natural Products (2017)
 

Coffee & Stroke

SCIENCE: The results of a survey looking at over 83,000 women over many years showed that coffee consumption may modestly reduce the risk of stroke among women.

SOURCE: ‘Coffee consumption and risk of stroke in women’ by Lopez-Garcia et al, in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association (2009)


SCIENCE: A study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer looked at over 500,000 people, and found that coffee drinking was associated with reduced risk for death from various causes, including stroke. 

SOURCE: ‘Coffee Drinking and Mortality in 10 European Countries: A Multinational Cohort Study’ by Gunter et al in Annals of Internal Medicine (2017) [Funded by IARC]


SCIENCE: A large-scale study in Japan found that higher green tea and coffee consumption was inversely associated with risk of CVD and stroke in the general population. 

SOURCE: The impact of green tea and coffee consumption on the reduced risk of stroke incidence in Japanese population’ by Kobubo et al, in Stroke (2013)


Coffee & Kidney Health

SCIENCE: Coffee consumption is associated with reduced risk of chronic kidney disease.

SOURCE: 'Effect of Coffee Consumption on Renal Outcome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Studies' by Kanbay M, Siriopol D, Copur S, Tapoi L, et al. Journal of Renal Nutrition (2020).

 

Coffee & Mental Health

SCIENCE: An independant meta-analysis found that coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of depression.

SOURCE: 'Coffee Drinkers Are Less Likely Than Others to be Depressed -- a Review of Current Research on Coffee, Depression and Depressive Sympoms' by Dr. Alan Leviton, Harvard Medical School