13 Health Benefits of Coffee That May Surprise You

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. While many people drink it for the taste or caffeine buzz, it can actually be really good for you. In fact, it’s estimated that only 16% of consumers in the U.S. are aware of coffee’s science-backed health benefits. And about half of consumers in Europe even believe that coffee is bad for you. 

Not all coffee beverages are created equal when it comes to health impacts. But when it comes to the actual coffee itself, there are many health benefits worth knowing about. Here are the top 13.

1. High in antioxidants

Coffee is one of the top three beverages when it comes to antioxidants. It’s also one of the biggest sources of antioxidants in the diet in the U.S. — even more than fruits and vegetables. 

Promotional Disclosureinfo_outlined

SPECIAL OFFER

Save over 40% on Qsymia with GoodRx

Discover the once daily Qsymia for weight management. Qsymia is for adults and children 12-17 in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Save now

Antioxidants help protect your body from illness and chronic health conditions. They do this by fighting off free radicals, which are molecules that can harm your body’s cells. When too many free radicals build up in your body, something called oxidative stress can occur. This can cause many different types of illnesses and diseases.

The roasting process of coffee beans reduces the antioxidant content. But it also creates other compounds that can work as antioxidants, which help balance out this loss.

2. Lower overall risk of death

Coffee can help you live longer. A lot of research has studied the effects of drinking coffee on all-cause mortality, which is your overall risk of death. Studies suggest that drinking coffee can increase your life expectancy. 

The research found that drinking moderate amounts of coffee — between 2 to 4 cups per day — provided the greatest reduction in risk of death. Different studies report varying statistics. But most find that people who drink coffee daily reduce their risk of premature death by 7% to 15% compared to people who don’t drink coffee.

3. Improves overall mood

Caffeine increases dopamine activity in your brain. Dopamine is a chemical (neurotransmitter) that can help improve your overall mood. A recent study found that people who drink coffee are less likely to experience depression. But it’s important to note that this association was found with caffeine intakes of up to 90 mg, which is about 1 cup of coffee. No association found when caffeine intake exceeded 90 mg.

Another much larger study found that drinking 2 to 3 cups of caffeinated, unsweetened coffee was linked to a lower risk of both depression and anxiety. While the research on the amount of coffee needed is mixed, overall, it seems to have a positive impact on mental health and mood. 

EXPERT PICKS: WHAT TO READ NEXT

• What’s the best way to spruce up your coffee? Follow these tips on healthy ways to prepare your coffee to reap its health benefits.

• Does coffee dehydrate you? The popular belief that coffee is dehydrating is a myth. Our experts explain why.

• Is instant coffee bad for you? It has fewer antioxidants than regular coffee. And it may have some harmful ingredients, too.

4. Improves energy levels

Caffeine in coffee is a known stimulant. This energy-boosting benefit is one of the primary reasons many people drink it. 

Caffeine helps keep you awake by blocking or delaying the effects of hormones — like adenosine and melatonin — that make you feel tired. Drinking caffeinated coffee essentially tells your body not to sleep. This is why it’s recommended to avoid caffeine before bedtime. 

The stimulant effect of caffeine in coffee may be especially helpful for athletes. It can delay feelings of fatigue and improve endurance. This leads to overall better exercise performance. 

Read more like this

Explore these related articles, suggested for readers like you.

Is Decaf Coffee Good or Bad for You? Here’s What to Know

Is Coffee Good or Bad for Your Liver and Kidneys?

Healthy Coffee: 7 Tips to Spruce Up Your Cup of Joe

What Is the Mediterranean Diet, and Why Is It Beneficial?

View more

5. Protects the liver

There is a fair amount of research showing that coffee can improve the health of your liver. It does this in a variety of ways, many of which are related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Research has reported that drinking coffee helps your liver by:

• Improving liver enzymes, which are a marker of liver inflammation

• Helping your liver break down sugar and prevent fat buildup 

• Protecting against fatty liver disease (formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD)

• Reducing the risk of fibrosis, which can happen with the progression of any type of fatty liver disease

• Reducing the risk of liver cancer and end-stage liver disease, known as cirrhosis. 

Given all of these benefits, it makes sense that research also shows that coffee lowers your chance of dying from liver disease.

According to the current research, the liver benefits are usually seen when you drink more than 2 cups per day. And the benefit seems to apply to both regular and decaf coffee.

6. Supports kidney health

Coffee can protect your kidney health, too. Just like with the liver, this is likely related to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. One study found that drinking coffee can help lower the risk of:

• Chronic kidney disease (CKD)

• End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) 

• Protein leaking into your urine, which means better overall kidney function

• Kidney stones

7. Can help with headaches

Coffee can be both good and bad for headaches.

There’s evidence that drinking coffee can help treat headaches, especially migraines. This benefit is specifically related to its caffeine content, which narrows blood vessels in your brain. This narrowing can reduce blood flow and relieve pressure, which can improve pain. 

But there’s a catch. If your body is used to regularly drinking caffeine and you suddenly stop, it can lead to a headache caused by withdrawal. Again, this is related to its caffeine content. So, withdrawal headaches may occur with other caffeinated drinks as well. 

8. May protect against Alzheimer’s disease

A study from 2021 found that drinking coffee may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers looked at over 200 older adults without any brain conditions. Over 10 years, coffee consumption helped to slow the buildup of a protein in the brain called Aβ-amyloid. This protein is what leads to Alzheimer’s disease when there’s too much of it. 

Another study from 2024 also reported that drinking three or more cups of coffee per day lowered the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, coffee’s impact varied depending on the person’s sex and other health conditions — like high blood pressure or high cholesterol. More specifically, coffee seemed to be most helpful for women with high blood pressure.

9. May lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease

There’s plenty of research linking the caffeine in coffee to a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease. An analysis of 13 studies — totaling over 900,000 people — found that drinking around 3 cups of coffee per day provided the maximum protection from Parkinson’s. 

But a more recent study reported coffee’s benefit for Parkinson’s disease risk was less clear. Researchers still found that caffeine in coffee can help protect your brain. But there was less evidence that it can delay the onset of Parkinson’s. The study stated that the benefits of coffee for Parkinson’s disease may specifically apply to people who have a genetic predisposition for it. So, it didn’t support the idea of supplementing with caffeine as an overall protection strategy. 

10. Supports heart health

Studies conducted over the last 20 years report that moderate coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of:

• High blood pressure

• Heart failure 

• Irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation

• Death from heart disease 

Researchers also found lower cholesterol levels with filtered coffee specifically. 

11. Lower risk of Type 2 diabetes

Results from 3 large studies showed that people who drink coffee may be less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Researchers reported that people who:

• Increased their coffee intake by more than 1 cup had an 11% decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

• Decreased their coffee intake by more than 1 cup had a 17% greater chance of developing the disease.

Interestingly, similar benefits weren’t found with caffeinated tea. This suggests that it’s coffee — and not caffeine — that makes a difference. But it’s also important to note that other lifestyle factors weren’t included in the testing. This means it’s hard to know if the benefits were only due to the coffee.

12. May reduce gout flares

There’s some controversial evidence about the role of coffee in gout, a form of arthritis. One review of nine studies found that coffee reduced uric acid levels in the blood. Uric acid buildup is what leads to the symptoms of gout. This review found that women needed more coffee — about 4 to 6 cups per day — than men, who only needed about 1 to 3 cups per day to receive this benefit. 

The Arthritis Foundation claims that the results on coffee and uric acid levels have been mixed. A more recent study reports that coffee may reduce your risk of gout, but not because of its effects on uric acid. Still, coffee is considered a helpful addition to the gout diet.

13. Prevent COVID-19

In the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, coffee has recently been highlighted as a dietary strategy to help prevent COVID. Research has found that the components of coffee — both decaf and regular — can help prevent infection with COVID. This benefit applies to multiple variants of the virus. About 1 to 2 cups of coffee per day seemed to be the most beneficial. 

What about decaf coffee?

The health benefits of coffee aren’t all tied to its caffeine content. This means that even decaf coffee provides some health benefits. 

While caffeine is the most studied component of coffee, it’s certainly not the only one. Roasted coffee contains a mixture of over 1,000 bioactive compounds. Each of these compounds contribute to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. Coffee is also a good source of vitamin B3 and magnesium.

That said, some of the listed health benefits of coffee are specific to its caffeine content. Examples include Parkinson’s disease, headaches, and kidney stones.

Other benefits are related to both regular and decaf coffee alike. Examples include Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and liver disease. 

What are the risks of coffee?

In general, drinking coffee in moderate amounts is safe for most people. But coffee can pose health risks in high amounts. This is related to high caffeine intake.

Symptoms of too much caffeine can include:

• Anxiety

• Irregular heartbeat

• High blood pressure

• Upset stomach

• Trouble sleeping and/or insomnia

• Headaches

• Nausea or vomiting

• Feeling shaky

For these reasons, people with certain health conditions may be better off limiting or avoiding caffeine. Examples may include those who have anxiety, high blood pressure, or difficulty sleeping.

Some people have asked whether the process of making decaf coffee can pose health risks. There are many different methods to remove the caffeine from coffee beans. Some methods use chemical solvents, carbon dioxide, or even just water. According to the National Coffee Association, all of these methods are safe and don’t interfere with the health benefits of decaf coffee.

It’s also essential to pay attention to the ingredients that are added to your coffee. What starts as a nutrient-dense drink can easily turn into one high in calories, saturated fat, and sugar. Drinking plain black coffee is the safest way to avoid any health risks associated with added ingredients. But many people don’t like the taste of black coffee. Thankfully, there are many ways to spruce up your coffee without compromising its health benefits. 

Here are some tips when making your coffee:

• Skip traditional coffee creamers and use plain milk or half-and-half instead

• Sweeten with small amounts of natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey, rather than cane sugar

• Avoid artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and sucralose 

• If you like flavor, use spices like cinnamon or vanilla extract instead of syrups

How much coffee should you drink each day?

There’s no specific amount of coffee you should drink each day. And if you’re not a coffee drinker, you don’t need to add it into your diet just because it has health benefits. 

For people who do drink coffee, the amount you drink each day should be based on:

• Personal preference

• How you respond to caffeine

• Your reasons for drinking it 

You’ll notice in the sections above that some of the health benefits of coffee are tied to a specific amount of coffee. So, if you’re targeting a specific health goal, take note of how much is ideal to consume. 

In addition, it helps to know that the FDA has set a maximum recommended limit for caffeine at 400 mg per day. This is equal to about 3 to 4 12-oz cups of coffee per day. Consuming more than this may lead to negative side effects. 

People who drink decaf coffee wouldn’t be limited to this amount, as decaf provides very little caffeine. A single cup of decaf coffee typically provides about 2 mg to 5 mg of caffeine. This is compared to 95 mg and 165 mg in one cup of regular coffee.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Joanna Foley, RD

Joanna Foley, RD, is a registered dietitian (RD) and the owner of joannafoleynutrition.com, a private nutrition consulting business. She has previously worked as a clinical dietitian and outpatient renal dietitian.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

Our editorial standards

Meet our experts