Once and for All, Is Coffee Good for You or Bad? New Research Sheds New Light

Is coffee good for you? I’ve seen the answer to this swing back and forth over the years, but some recent research suggests that coffee might not be such a bad thing.

We’re not talking about sugar-filled iced frappuccino here. The question of the day is, is black coffee good for you or bad?

I always tend to gravitate towards the advice that leans on the "healthy" side of coffee drinking because I'm not sure I could get through my day without it. I certainly could not have managed to get through the early days of being a mom during bouts of severe sleep deprivation with a new baby, when I often made an entire pot of coffee and drank a good portion of it by myself.

The short answer to my question about coffee has some surprising health benefits. But drinking too much often causes negative issues. As in, making an entire pot of it just for me was probably a bad idea.

Read on to find out some good news about coffee.

#1: Drinking coffee is linked to a healthy liver

A study published in June of 2021 found that coffee drinkers were 49% less likely to die of chronic liver disease than non-coffee drinkers. Another more recent study featured on WebMD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that people that drink three or more cups of coffee per day had fewer liver problems.

#2: Coffee improves your mood

A study in Europe showed that drinking coffee during winter when the days were shorter improved people’s moods. Now you should know, this study is backed by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC), made up of European-based coffee companies.

But there’s more, a Japanese study from 2014 showed that some of the components in coffee were found to counteract negative effects of depression.

#3: Coffee contributes to heart health

Another study found light to moderate coffee drinking was associated with a lower risk of stroke and fatal heart disease.

And an analysis of data from three well-known heart disease trials, and highlighted by the American Heart Association, showed the more coffee people drank, the lower their risk of heart failure.

Although I should point out, the senior author of the study, Dr. David Kao, put a bit of a damper on the news saying,

“There is not yet enough clear evidence to recommend increasing coffee consumption to decrease risk of heart disease with the same strength and certainty as stopping smoking, losing weight or exercising.”

Not always a good thing

As with everything in life, moderation seems to be key. The Mayo Clinic advises against too much caffeine consumption. The limit they suggest: 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. This amounts to about four cups of coffee, two "energy shot" drinks, or 10 cans of soda. Of course, these are only averages, caffeine in these beverages can vary quite a bit.

And caffeine intake should be even less for pregnant women, the Mayo Clinic recommends pregnant should not drink more than two cups of coffee per day.

Symptoms from too much caffeine can include:

• Trouble sleeping
• Nervousness
• Fast heartbeat
• Headaches
• Irritability

How much coffee you drink is a personal thing

Some people are much more affected by drinking coffee than others. I find for me one cup is not enough. Two is good. Three is probably overdoing it, but some days, I need to overdo it.

You can experiment with yourself to get the right amount for you. If two cups make you jittery, stick with one. But remember not to go overboard. And, of course, the benefits of drinking coffee will never outweigh the benefits of eating healthy and getting exercise.

A previous version of this article was originally published on Medium.