Is coffee healthy?
So, is coffee good for you? As always, the answer is nuanced, and there is ‘no-one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to nutrition. Let's break it down so that you can decide if coffee is for you or not.
Coffee can be an abundant source of antioxidants beneficial for our health, with studies showing that it can help improve cognition, reduce risks of certain cancers and type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease. Interestingly, some of the health benefits might increase our gut microbiome diversity - which is central to a healthy gut.1
Certain bacteria can help cultivate a better blood sugar response after meals, and improve insulin sensitivity. Coffee has been found to be associated with higher levels of some of these bacteria, and this might in part explain why coffee consumption has been linked with lower risks of Type 2 diabetes.
However, if you are anything like me, you might not always be able to tolerate coffee. Coffee sometimes can make me jittery and anxious because I am a slow metabolizer, and if I'm consuming it during the later part of my menstrual cycle or in a heightened stressed state, it has a much bigger effect on me and can even give me tender breast/estrogen dominant symptoms. (The brand of coffee I drink makes a difference too).
The Breakdown On Coffee
So, is coffee good for you? As always, the answer is nuanced, and there is ‘no one-size-fits-all when it comes to nutrition. Let's break it down so that you can decide if coffee is for you or not.
We all handle caffeine differently, being either a fast or slow metabolizer of caffeine. Stay with me here ...
The caffeine you ingest passes through your stomach and small intestine; it then enters the bloodstream shortly.
The peak of your caffeine level is about 1 hour after you've consumed it, and then it begins to decrease gradually. The speed of this decline depends on your CYP1A2 gene; this gene controls an enzyme that is in charge of breaking down the caffeine in your body. We have variations in this gene (and a couple of others) that determine how we process caffeine.
If you are a slow metabolizer, you naturally break down caffeine at a slower rate and are more likely to experience adverse side effects like jitteriness, anxiety, and insomnia. There is also some evidence that slow metabolizers may be at increased risk of increased blood pressure from coffee drinking. You can find out whether you are a fast or slow metabolizer via genetic testing, but to be honest, you can usually tell by how your body responds after a cup.2
On the other hand, if you are a fast metabolizer, you break down caffeine much faster, so it does not cause any negative effects.
Now there IS an extra kicker for my female readers - coffee can interfere with our estrogen metabolism.