Albert Einstein once said, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase our chances of survival for life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

If the genius Einstein said that a diet based on plants is beneficial to health, then coffee must be healthy considering that coffee beans come from plants, right? Let us see what science has to say about this.

According to a study that was published in the Journal of the Korean Society of International Agriculture entitled Consumers’ Valuation of Local Specialty Coffee: The Case of Philippines, nine out of 10 households have coffee in their pantries. Regardless of social status, eight out of 10 adults or 80 percent of Filipinos drink an average of two and a half cups of coffee on a daily basis. Thus, coffee is considered the second most consumed beverage in households next to water. Next to Japan, the Philippines is the second largest consumer of coffee in the whole of Asia.

Are the Filipinos in danger of harming their health with their choice of beverage or is there any health benefit from drinking coffee at all?

Philippines-registered nutritionist, dietitian, and US plantrician Consuelo Domingo, RND sheds light on this common yet often controversial beverage.

“It is a common belief that caffeine is unhealthy and it can result to different side effects. However, this can only happen due to excessive consumption. For coffee lovers like me, I have good news for you! In 2023, the latest research shows that coffee remains health-promoting. Consuming coffee in moderation will contribute to heart health and mental well-being. Coffee is packed with antioxidants. It also boosts metabolic rate and enhances fat burning. Plus, it has been associated with reduced risk of liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Research suggests that moderate consumption may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes too.”

Please hold your horses before you grab that large serving of coffee blend! There are conditions that you need to consider if you want to reap the health benefits of coffee. You see, it’s not the coffee that makes it unhealthy. It’s what you put into your coffee. Sugar, syrups, whipped cream, animal milk, and all those pro-inflammatory, high fat, high sugar, and calorie-laden additives that don’t have any nourishing components.

Let us be clear about this. Black coffee is the key to unlocking the health benefits. However, Ms. Domingo said: “But not all coffee are the same. What defines a cup of coffee? These are the essential factors. The origin of coffee beans, the type and blend of coffee beans, the roasting process and roasting time, the amount of grind, and the brewing process.”

What makes coffee harmful to health? It’s acrylamide – a chemical that forms when coffee beans are subjected to very high temperatures during the roasting process. In 2013, a study conducted by Hanna Mojska and Iwona Gielecinska revealed that coffee substitutes have the highest mean acrylamide concentration. You are technically better off drinking the real thing. However, their study also showed that instant coffee has a higher acrylamide content at 358 microg/Kg compared to roasted coffee with 179 micro/Kg. That is 50 percent higher acrylamide content for instant coffee!

Aside from the acrylamide content, my concern with drinking instant coffee blend as a staple in your diet is this - It also increases the intake of pro-inflammatory sugar, fat, and additives not to mention the empty calories. If you read the nutrition label on the coffee packets, you will see that the first two ingredients may not even be coffee. It will be sugar and some dairy ingredients. It simply means those two ingredients have a higher ratio compared to the actual coffee content.

Contrary to the belief that coffee increases blood pressure, it does not. Whatever slight elevation from the caffeine boost will not last to cause hypertension. However, coffee contains diterpenes that increase cholesterol. The good news is that this can be filtered out. The key lies in how you brew your coffee. Drip, filtered and freeze-dried coffee have negligible amounts of diterpenes. Freeze-dried coffee extract is similar to brewing and filtering gourmet coffee. In addition, this type of coffee contains higher levels of antioxidants compared to all other types of coffee.

How much coffee is beneficial? Research suggests that daily caffeine intake for an adult should not be over 300mg or approximately 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day. Pregnant women may safely consume about 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day. However, caffeine tolerance may vary for each individual.

There are cases when I ask my patients to avoid coffee. When their mood is sensitive to caffeine and they get episodes of caffeine crash characterized by fatigue, mood swings, and headache. I also advise against taking coffee for individuals who have hyperacidity and are sensitive to caffeine. If you have difficulty falling asleep, avoid coffee after lunch onwards. If these conditions don’t bother you, then by all means have a cup or two of freeze-dried, drip, or filtered coffee. If you’re having instant coffee, make sure that the ingredients don’t include sugar, milk, and other additives.

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