18 Reasons to Drink Coffee for Your Health

Often, the foods and beverages people love the most are unhealthy and should be consumed only once in awhile. Coffee, however, appears to be a rare exception. One of the most popular beverages in the United States, coffee also has a number of health benefits — which, in some cases, increase as consumption goes up.

According to a 2018 survey commissioned by the National Coffee Association (NCA), 64% of American adults drink at least one cup of coffee a day, the highest share of coffee drinkers since 2012. Many of those same adults are at a significantly lower risk of a number of sometimes fatal diseases and conditions than those who abstain or who do not drink much coffee.

24/7 Tempo reviewed medical research findings from a range of journals and sources to identify 18 health benefits of drinking coffee. The benefits range from an improved mood and reduced risk of depression to a reduced risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States — and these are America’s states where most people have heart disease.

Many of coffee’s purported medical benefits have some serious caveats. For many diseases on this list, including type 2 diabetes and liver cancer, the risk appears to decline as coffee consumption goes up. And as the Mayo Clinic notes, more than four cups of coffee a day can cause irritability, upset stomach, migraine headaches, and muscle tremors — side effects that may outweigh any potential benefit. Drinking a lot of coffee in the afternoon can also be a symptom of a serious health problem.