Is coffee good or bad for you?

New and old research confirms that coffee can slow down the epigenetic aging clock, can improve cognitive health and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

The type of coffee you drink and how you brew it make a difference. 

How to Select Your Coffee.

There are two major types of coffee plants: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica beans have a stronger flavor and about half the caffeine content of Robusta. It also contains less chlorogenic acid, a potent antioxidant. Robusta beans have a higher caffeine content, are richer in chlorogenic acids, and offer enhanced mental stimulation. The taste is less pleasing, being more bitter.

The way the bean is processed is fundamental; the method used to process the coffee bean after harvesting will impact the amino acid content, antioxidant content, and fermentation, ultimately affecting the health benefits. A darker roast reduces the antioxidant effect of caffeine.

How you prepare your coffee affects the health benefits of the coffee beans. A hot brewing method, such as the ones used to make espresso, or a drip brewing method, like a French press, will quickly extract the antioxidants due to high temperatures and short brewing times. For example, espresso has the highest antioxidant level per volume due to its intense extraction. French press and percolators provide a moderate number of antioxidants, while filter drip and instant coffee offer less, yet still provide an optimal antioxidant benefit.

How to brew your coffee is very important. Coffee contains fat-soluble diterpenes, Cafestol and kahweol. They raise serum lipids and also have anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anticancer, antidiabetic, and anti-osteoclastogenesis activities. If not filtered out, they can raise LDL cholesterol, which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.  Non-filtered coffee can contain elevated doses of cafestol. The use of light paper drip coffees can reduce the amount of diterpene present. Polyphenols are water-soluble and can go through the filter. 

Where and how the coffee plant is grown is very important.

Coffee beans grown at high altitudes, such as those in Colombia, mature slowly, resulting in a sweeter flavor. They contain less caffeine and fewer antioxidants than those grown at lower altitudes. Coffee plants grown near the equator, in Ethiopia and Kenya, have higher concentrations of antioxidants because they protect themselves against sunlight and environmental stressors. It is a plant stress response. Mineral-rich volcanic soils, such as those found in Guatemala and Colombia, enhance the sweetness and intense flavor because they have a higher sucrose and lipid content.

Benefits of drinking coffee.

Drinking coffee may protect us from the effects of aging and damage. It helps the body to adapt to stress by slowing down the aging process at a cellular level. The biological age is defined by the rate at which we begin to deteriorate. Once our DNA begins to degenerate, our bodies become more vulnerable to diseases and infections. Our genes are activated and deactivated as we age. We can age faster or slower than our chronological age. Drinking coffee can slow the biological aging process. People who drink coffee regularly tend to have a younger epigenetic age compared to non-drinkers. This is evident primarily by changes in the DNA methylations, which are closely tied to inflammation.

What is the magic amount of coffee to drink daily?

People who consume three to four cups of coffee per day have a biological age that is 34 to 41% slower compared to non-drinkers.

The active ingredients are chlorogenic acids, caffeine, and other antioxidants that can alter our genetic expression and potentially slow down the aging process. Regular coffee drinkers experience fewer chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Coffee drinkers present with a 27% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to non-coffee drinkers, and can increase their lifespan by two years.

Does decaffeinated coffee improve health span?

Decaffeinated coffee has equal benefits to caffeinated cold coffee. Polyphenols and chlorogenic acids act as potent anti-aging compounds, independent of caffeine.

Is coffee bad for the heart?

We know now that coffee reduces cardiovascular disease risk between 10 and 15%. Reducing heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular-related deaths. We used to believe that caffeine intake induced arrhythmia. We now know that caffeine appears to reduce the risk of various conditions in a dose-dependent manner. Two to three cups of coffee decrease the risk of arrhythmia by 12%, and four to five cups decrease it by 70%. Decaffeinated coffee does not have the same protection against arrhythmia. Caffeine has a role in stabilizing the heart rate.

There is a better time to drink coffee.

 People who primarily drink coffee in the morning tend to experience greater longevity benefits compared to those who consume caffeine throughout the day. Morning coffee drinkers experience a 12% lower all-cause mortality and a 31% lower risk of cardiovascular death.

Drinking coffee in the morning is primarily protective because it doesn’t disrupt the circadian clock. Drinking coffee within three hours of bedtime can shift the sleep-wake cycle by 45 minutes to an hour. This results in delayed melatonin release and disrupted sleep. Drinking caffeine in the morning is supported by the natural circadian clock. You should avoid caffeine 8 to 10 hours before your chosen bedtime.

What are the benefits of drinking coffee?

Caffeine improves alertness, optimizes metabolism, and cardiovascular health. It enhances cognitive performance, helps regulate glucose levels, and improves fat utilization. It helps to reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The mechanism of action is due to the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is present in our cells and is activated by fasting, intense exercise, or metabolic stress. Chlorogenic acids can activate AMP-activated protein kinase, allowing us to manage glucose levels better, increase our ability to burn fat, and decrease triglyceride levels. The chronic activation of AMP kinase makes us more efficient at utilizing energy.

Does coffee increase cancer risk?

Between 1990 and 2016, coffee was labeled as a potential carcinogen. Acrylamide, which develops during the roasting of coffee beans, is carcinogenic; however, the reality is that you would need to drink between 25 and 50 cups of coffee to reach the two micrograms per kilogram of body weight that increases cancer risk. We can’t say for sure that coffee does not increase cancer risk and possibly reduces it, especially certain kinds of cancer, such as endometrial cancer, liver cancer, and skin cancer. The anti-cancer effect may be due to the reduction of DNA damage, which is likely a key factor in the initiation of cancer.

Drinking coffee is beneficial for the gut microbiome. Each cup of coffee contains approximately 2 grams of soluble fiber, polyphenols, and diterpenes. These compounds can improve the diversity of the gut microbiome species. There is a specific bacterial species that is present only in fermented coffee fibers and is present only in the microbiome of coffee drinkers.  Consuming 3 cups of coffee daily for 8 weeks will increase the amount of Bifidobacteria, which produce short-chain fatty acids.

In conclusion, drink two to four cups of coffee per day, and choose wisely where you get your coffee from. Espresso has the highest antioxidants per volume, but also has elevated diterpenes that can increase LDL cholesterol.

That can increase LDL cholesterol. Drinking coffee helps improve cognitive attention, enhances alertness, and may decrease the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and all-cause mortality.