Is coffee good for your health?

A large number of studies have already been published on the beneficial effects of coffee. However, it is often consumed with sugar or milk. The addition of sugar or fatty acids to coffee was studied in a recent article.

Coffee is the most widely consumed hot beverage in France, with 𝟗𝟒% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 drinking it regularly. Some prefer it black, while others add a little milk, sugar, or cream. The literature has highlighted the 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 on the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. These effects are thought to be due to the presence of 𝐜𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐬.

A study published in 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐽𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑁𝑢𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 reports that daily consumption of at least one cup of plain coffee was associated with a 𝟏𝟔% 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤. Beyond three cups, the effects reached a plateau. However, these effects were valid for people drinking plain coffee or with little added sugars and saturated fats. Coffee should nevertheless be consumed sensibly, as caffeine can be 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬, causing symptoms such as tachycardia, headaches, agitation, tremors and poor sleep quality.

However, coffee with milk is not totally unhealthy. In fact, a 2023 study suggested that milk's amino acids could 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 of coffee's polyphenols, although the results have since remained controversial.