While some people can kick start their day without a drop of coffee, for many, it’s an essential ritual. Coffee isn’t just a morning booster—it’s a staple for first dates, casual hangouts, and cozy meetups at favorite spots like Starbucks. Whether you’re a daily drinker or an occasional sipper, there’s no doubt coffee has a way of weaving itself into life’s memorable moments.
In the U.S., 64% of people drink at least one cup of coffee every day, totaling about 400 million cups each day. It’s clear that Americans love their coffee. Over the years, the way we enjoy coffee has changed, and today, artisan and fair-trade coffee beans are very popular in this big industry.
The U.S. may have been slow to join the global coffee craze, but since coffee was introduced in the 17th century, it has more than made up for lost time. Today, coffee has overtaken tea as the nation’s favorite drink. Whether you like to make your own coffee at home or grab a cup from your favorite local café, research shows that drinking coffee might help prevent some illnesses.
The benefits of coffee can vary depending on how much you consume, and they might be different for men and women. This could be due to how coffee impacts sex hormones. A 2017 meta-analysis found that drinking three to four cups of coffee per day is safe for most people and might even reduce the risk of some health conditions. However, new research is always emerging, sometimes updating previous findings. With that in mind, here are a few health conditions that coffee might help prevent.
01
Liver Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis means the liver is scarred and damaged. While drinking too much alcohol can cause cirrhosis, conditions like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome can also increase the risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which can lead to cirrhosis. Chronic hepatitis B and C are other culprits that can cause this liver damage.
Cirrhosis is a serious health issue, but a study that looked at data from nine different studies found that drinking coffee might help reduce the risk of developing it. These studies involved over 430,000 participants, and in eight out of nine studies, the more coffee people drank, the lower their chances of developing cirrhosis. While these studies considered alcohol use, they didn’t always factor in other risks like diabetes and obesity, which can also lead to NAFLD.
Does this mean you can drink as much alcohol as you want if you also drink a lot of coffee? Not quite. As Samantha Heller, a senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Langone Medical Center, put it simply; drinking coffee won’t cancel out unhealthy habits like heavy drinking. Also, beware of coffee drinks loaded with sugar and other unhealthy ingredients.
In short, while coffee might help lower the risk of cirrhosis, it’s still important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid overindulging in alcohol.
02
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones are known to be very painful. These stones are hard deposits made of salts and minerals that form inside your kidneys. There are different types of kidney stones, but the most common are calcium stones, particularly calcium oxalate stones.
In regards to whether coffee can prevent kidney stones, A study sums up data from two large studies involving over 571,000 people found a link between drinking coffee and a lower risk of developing kidney stones. Dr. Susanna C. Larsson, one of the study’s authors, said, “Our findings show that going from, for example, one cup a day to 1.5 cups per day, reduces the risk of kidney stones by 40 percent.” This suggests that drinking coffee regularly might help reduce the risk of kidney stone formation.
However, coffee contains oxalates, which are also found in many foods and can contribute to kidney stone formation. But cutting out all foods with oxalates isn’t a simple solution and might not be healthy. It’s better to talk to a doctor about a diet that’s good for your kidneys. Coffee can be part of that discussion to find a balance that works for you.
03
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes happens when the body can’t use insulin properly. Insulin helps the cells take in sugar from the blood to use as energy. Sometimes, cells stop responding to insulin, so the pancreas makes more to try to keep up. Over time, the pancreas gets overworked, and blood sugar levels stay high, leading to prediabetes and eventually type 2 diabetes.
If you’re worried about getting type 2 diabetes, there’s good news. A report from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee found that drinking coffee, whether it’s regular or decaf, might lower the chances of developing this condition. The report showed that people who drank three or four cups of coffee a day had a lower risk of getting diabetes compared to those who drank two cups or fewer.
However, if you already have diabetes, there’s a catch. According to the Mayo Clinic, caffeine might raise or lower blood sugar levels, and this can vary from person to person. Because of this, if you have diabetes, you might need to be careful with how much caffeine you drink, and it might be better to cut back on caffeine rather than drinking more.
04
Gout
Gout is a very painful condition. Gout happens when your body breaks down a substance called purine, found in your body and some foods. This process creates uric acid. Too much uric acid can cause crystals to form in and around your joints, leading to pain and damage.
Research suggests that drinking coffee might help lower the risk of developing this type of arthritis. Dr. Hyon Choi from the University of British Columbia and colleagues at Harvard Medical School studied data from a six-year survey of about 50,000 men in the United States. They found that drinking four to five cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of gout by 40%. Drinking six or more cups a day reduced the risk by 50-60%.
The study showed that coffee might help lower uric acid levels, which could prevent gout. However, drinking too much coffee isn’t a good idea, and adding lots of sugar can make it less healthy. It’s always best to enjoy coffee in moderation.
05
Heart Failure
Contrary to what some might think, it doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped beating. Instead, as the American Heart Association puts it, it means the heart isn’t pumping enough blood and oxygen to the rest of the body. Drinking coffee might help prevent heart failure, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
Drinking coffee might reduce the risk of heart failure. The researchers looked at data from three studies with over 21,000 coffee drinkers. They found that people who drank caffeinated coffee were less likely to have heart failure. However, the studies had some limitations.They focused on caffeine as the key ingredient but didn’t look at whether other sources of caffeine, like tea, could also help. Additionally, they didn’t provide details about the coffee’s strength or how it was prepared.
Even though these findings are encouraging, it still calls for caution that not all coffee drinks are healthy. The American Heart Association warns that coffee drinks with a lot of sugar, fat, and calories are not good for your heart or your overall health. They also caution that too much caffeine can be harmful. Coffee might help protect against heart failure, but it’s best to drink it in moderation and avoid adding unhealthy ingredients.
