Coffee is one of the world's most beloved beverages, and the U.S. isn't the only country to have embraced it as a true icon. Despite its enduring popularity, its health reputation has seen ups and downs, with both truth and myth. The caffeine contained in coffee beans— whether Arabica or Robusta —has repeatedly raised the question: is coffee good for you or bad for you? Recently, thanks to numerous scientific studies, answers are emerging. Are they good or bad? Let's find out together, looking at the benefits of coffee and its drawbacks.
Coffee's Main Benefits
The scientific community now agrees: coffee, when consumed in moderate doses and consistently, is a true ally for the body, and can even lengthen life (not shorten it). It can reduce several causes of mortality, including cancer, strokes, and heart attacks, aid stress management, and slow cellular aging. In terms of its composition, in fact, we are not dealing with a true food that provides essential nutrients for survival, but the substances it contains can provide significant benefits. In particular, the presence of the well-known caffeine, an alkaloid with stimulant effects, and polyphenols (first and foremost chlorogenic acid, a powerful antioxidant), which, individually or in combination, are thought to perform important functions.
1. Stimulates the Central Nervous System
Caffeine is a molecule capable of blocking adenosine receptors, a substance that induces relaxation and drowsiness. This makes us feel more reactive, focused, and less fatigued. Several studies show that regular coffee drinkers achieve more stable cognitive performance throughout the day, with quicker reflexes and improved attention.
2. He is a Friend of The Heart
The relationship between coffee and cardiovascular health is among the most debated. People with hypertension are often advised against it, but recent studies, demonstrate that those who drink coffee regularly have lower or the same blood pressure as those who don't. This is where the bioactive compounds in coffee, such as chlorogenic acid, likely come into play: this is why positive effects have been observed even in subjects who choose decaffeinated coffee.
3. Reduces the Risk of Chronic and Genetic Diseases
For over 10 years, the results of multiple scientific studies have supported the link between coffee consumption and a lower risk of chronic and genetic diseases, from type 2 diabetes to Parkinson's disease, including cancer. As the Fondazione Veronesi has emphasized on several occasions, coffee is not carcinogenic —unless consumed boiling hot, in which case it could increase the risk of developing esophageal cancer, as do all very hot drinks above 140-150°F/60-65°C—but, on the contrary, there is a positive association between coffee and a reduction in the occurrence of endometrial, liver, and colorectal cancers.
4. Increases Good Mood
Thanks to caffeine, drinking coffee also improves your mood. There's no shortage of studies on this topic, which have identified an increase in good mood, with a marked effect in the first two to three hours after drinking, especially in the morning, and which tends to diminish as the day goes on, even if you drink more coffee.
How Much, When and How to Drink Coffee to Stay Healthy
Be careful not to be fooled by all these virtues. Studies conducted in recent years have highlighted many positive characteristics of coffee, also debunking some false myths (such as the belief that it helps you lose weight). The drink, however, has not suddenly become an elixir of long life: the benefits, in fact, in addition to varying depending on the individual's state, are influenced by multiple factors, also supported by science. For example, recent research conducted in the US and published in The Journal of Nutrition in July 2025 highlighted that the ideal amount of coffee is 1-2 cups a day maximum, without sugar or milk: the mortality rate, in fact, decreases by 17% in people who drink coffee compared to those who do not, provided that the coffee is free (or at a very low dose) of sweeteners and added fats. Furthermore, the time of consumption should not be underestimated. A US study by Tulane University in New Orleans published last February in the European Heart Journal revealed that there is a specific time to drink it to enjoy better heart health, namely in the morning, since during the afternoon or evening the stimulant effects could compromise sleep, with negative consequences on the cardiovascular system.
When You Should Avoid Coffee
Drinking too much coffee is bad for you, and that's because ingesting excessive doses of caffeine leads to potential risks, especially affecting the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system. The amount of caffeine recommended by EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, should not exceed 400 mg per day for a healthy adult, and 200 mg for pregnant women. This corresponds to approximately 4-5 cups of espresso, which individually can contain between 50 and 120 mg depending on the blend. It's also important to know that caffeine isn't just found in coffee, but also in foods and other cola-based drinks, energy drinks, tea, and some food supplements. What can you experience with an overdose? Insomnia, agitation, anxiety, but also arrhythmia, tachycardia, and a temporary increase in blood pressure. Being a psychoactive substance, caffeine is considered a drug in all respects, so much so that it is often called the "most consumed drug in the world" and, for this reason, as several studies demonstrate, it can cause dependence, therefore habituation (which varies from person to person) and, in the case of sudden elimination, forms of withdrawal, which manifest themselves with tiredness, headache, irritability and poor concentration, especially in the first week. With regards to pathologies, coffee can come into conflict with those who suffer from osteoporosis or anemia, because it reduces the absorption of calcium and iron, and gastrointestinal disorders, including gastric reflux and ulcers, given that it stimulates gastric and bile secretion, as well as intestinal motility, with the consequences of a laxative.
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