Health Benefits of Black Coffee

If you drink coffee regularly, you know about its stimulating and energy-boosting effects. But you may not be aware that black coffee has many health benefits.

Benefits of black coffee are numerous. Coffee is a rich source of health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants, and drinking organic black coffee in moderation may even prolong your life. 

Let's look at how much coffee you should enjoy to support your health and well-being.

Is coffee healthy?

Coffee beans are actually the seeds of Coffea plant berries. Like other seeds, coffee beans are incredibly nutritious and rich in health-promoting polyphenols, including ferulic acid and chlorogenic acid.

Evidence suggests that regularly drinking black coffee provides significant amounts of polyphenols and antioxidants linked to improved cognitive function, reduced risk of metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer, and may protect from chronic inflammation.

Coffee also contains caffeic acid and caffeine, two unrelated bioactive plant compounds that support brain function and a healthy central nervous system.

Drinking coffee may reduce your risk of early death—research shows that coffee consumption is associated with reduced mortality risk. People who drink one to two cups of coffee daily have a lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who drink no coffee or drink more than five cups per day.

Unfortunately, most coffee is grown on non-organic coffee farms that extensively use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. These potentially harmful toxins can end up in your daily cup of coffee. Pesticide ingestion can lead to adverse health implications, including hormonal imbalances, impaired liver health, and increased cancer risk. 

Organically grown coffee contains more health-promoting polyphenols and is free of harmful contaminants and pesticide residues.

Watch the video below to learn more about why you should drink black coffee regularly.

Eight benefits of coffee

Coffee doesn’t just give you an energy boost. It has surprising health benefits, including supporting metabolic function and liver health, reducing the risk of chronic inflammatory diseases, and promoting cognitive health.

If you are a coffee drinker, you are already taking advantage of coffee’s many health benefits. However, it’s important to note that research findings primarily relate to plain black coffee. 

Highly processed coffee beverages laden with sugar, artificial flavors, and preservatives don’t have the health-promoting properties of high-quality black coffee.  

Let’s take a look at the eight health benefits of coffee. 

1. Weight loss

Black coffee drinkers may find it easier to achieve weight loss than people who don't drink coffee. 

Black coffee is a low-calorie drink that increases your metabolic rate and stimulates fat-burning. Research confirms that coffee inhibits the formation of adipocytes and is associated with lower body fat.  

And, what's more, caffeine is beneficial for weight loss and weight management by promoting satiety and suppressing hunger. 

2. Brain health 

Daily coffee consumption has tremendous benefits for brain health. Coffee doesn’t just boost mental clarity and concentration. Drinking coffee is also associated with a significantly lower risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease. 

Caffeine is a potent neurostimulator that increases the brain's energy metabolism, activates neuronal activity, and triggers serotonin and dopamine release. Both serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters crucial for cognitive health and brain functioning.

3. Anticancer

Drinking black coffee can reduce breast, prostate, and colon cancer risk.  

The phytochemicals in coffee beans have potent antioxidant properties that protect your cells from oxidation and free radicals, which are harmful metabolic by-products that can cause DNA damage and mutation linked to cancer development. 

4. Anti-inflammatory 

Coffee can help your body to fight inflammation, explaining why coffee drinkers are at lower risk of inflammatory conditions, including arthritis, metabolic syndrome, or eczema.

Coffee is a rich source of chlorogenic acid, an anti-inflammatory phytochemical that blocks harmful free radicals and inhibits proinflammatory substances that cause cellular damage and worsen chronic inflammation.

5. Liver health 

Coffee consumption is beneficial for individuals with liver disease. 

Drinking black coffee supports liver health by reducing harmful fat accumulation in the liver and protecting it from the detrimental effects of toxins and waste products the liver processes and detoxifies. 

Coffee intake is also linked to lower levels of harmful liver enzymes found in individuals with liver cirrhosis. 

6. Kidney stones 

A recent clinical trial found that daily coffee consumption can reduce the risk of kidney stones by up to 40%. 

Caffeine is a diuretic that increases urinary flow through the kidney, lowering the risk of kidney stone formation. Increased urination clears the kidneys of crystal-forming substances linked to kidney stones, including calcium, oxalates, and uric acid.

7. Type 2 diabetes 

According to this study, regularly consuming black coffee can significantly lower your risk of type-2 diabetes.

Coffee appears to improve beta cell function responsible for producing and secreting insulin. Balanced insulin levels are crucial for metabolic health and prevent high blood glucose levels and diabetes. 

In addition, chlorogenic acid in coffee has been found to have anti-diabetic effects, likely due to its blood sugar-balancing properties and benefits to liver health. 

8. Gallbladder health 

If you are prone to gallstones or sluggish gallbladder function, coffee is an excellent beverage to stimulate bile flow and support healthy fat digestion.

Coffee intake stimulates cholecystokinin, a digestive hormone that triggers gallbladder contraction and the release of digestive enzymes into the small intestine. 

Healthy gallbladder function and effective gallbladder contraction promote digestive health and lower the risk of gallstone formation.

Side effects of coffee

Although coffee is nutritious and healthy, drinking too much coffee can have significant side effects. 

If you struggle to get a good night's sleep, experience frequent urination, and feel restless or anxious, your coffee intake may be too high.

Caffeine is a potent central nervous system stimulant and one of the most addictive psychoactive substances on the planet. Consuming caffeine in excess can lead to profound health implications, including:

• High blood pressure

• Increased breathing rate

• Nervousness and anxiety

• Insomnia

• Digestive issues

• Fatigue

Excessive amounts of coffee can increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies. Coffee interferes with the intestinal absorption of calcium and vitamin D, which can lead to impaired bone health. 

Coffee is a diuretic that can cause frequent urination, increasing the loss of water-soluble vitamins, including vitamins C and B1.

How much coffee should you drink each day?

Too much caffeinated coffee can result in excessive caffeine intake, linked to various potentially harmful side effects. 

Consuming around eight ounces of black coffee daily lets you benefit from coffee's health-promoting properties while avoiding negative health implications.  

Decaffeinated coffee can be an excellent alternative, but choosing Swiss water-processed decaf products is important. 

Swiss water-processed coffee is made by a chemical-free method using water and carbon filters to remove caffeine from coffee beans. In contrast, conventional decaf coffee is typically processed with solvents, chemicals, and other potentially harmful toxins.

How to make bulletproof coffee 

Bulletproof coffee combines black coffee, unsalted grass-fed butter, and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). If you are doing keto or intermittent fasting, bulletproof coffee is an excellent beverage that raises your ketone levels, prolongs fasting, and provides coffee’s many health benefits.

MCTs are fatty acids that are easily digested and rapidly converted to ketones, a readily available fuel source of energy for your cells. Because MCTs are converted to ketones, bulletproof coffee promotes ketosis. This metabolic state burns fat instead of sugar to produce energy. 

Bulletproof coffee is carb-free and rich in healthy fats that won’t raise your insulin levels. It’s an excellent drink to help you transition into intermittent fasting and can help to extend your fasting periods.

Drinking bulletproof coffee can improve physical performance and mental clarity, curb hunger, and helps to diminish cravings.  

Making bulletproof coffee is easy. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup black coffee 

• 1 to 2 Tbsp MCT oil 

• 1 to 2 Tbsp grass-fed, unsalted butter 

Directions:

1. Use a blender to combine all ingredients for 20 to 30 seconds or until it has a creamy consistency with frothy foam.

Key takeaways

Coffee stimulates the nervous system and is rich in health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants.

Regular consumption of black coffee is linked to various health benefits, including improved cognitive health, reduced risk of metabolic syndrome and kidney disease, and reduced inflammation and oxidative stress.

However, too much caffeine can have harmful effects. To promote your health and well-being, enjoy around eight ounces of coffee each day and choose organically grown coffee whenever possible.

FAQ

1. Is coffee healthy?

Yes, coffee is a rich source of healthy polyphenols and antioxidants, and black coffee drinkers have a lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who don't drink coffee. 

Moderate amounts of black coffee promote a healthy weight, lower your risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, may protect you from liver cancer, and promote gallbladder health.  

2. Is coffee addictive?

Yes, coffee contains caffeine, one of the most addictive psychoactive drugs on the planet. Common signs that you may be addicted to coffee are coffee cravings, headaches, nausea, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. 

3. How much coffee is too much?

Because of its high caffeine content, too much black coffee can result in side effects, including insomnia, low moods, irritability, and frequent urination. 

A medium-sized cup of around eight ounces is the perfect amount to benefit from coffee's many health benefits without the risk of side effects. 

4. Will bulletproof coffee break my fast?

Bulletproof coffee is carb-free and rich in healthy fats that won't raise your insulin levels and keep your metabolism in a fat-burning mode.

Bulletproof coffee is a keto-friendly beverage that can help prolong your fasting periods and keep you in ketosis. 

5. Will MCT oil coffee break my fast?

Bulletproof coffee is a keto-friendly, carb-free drink that won't break your fast or kick you out of ketosis. 

Drinking bulletproof coffee doesn't raise blood sugar levels and won't impact your insulin levels. MCT oil is readily digested and converted into ketones which promote ketosis and helps you to maintain more extended fasting periods.  

6. Is coffee okay for a fatty liver?

Organic coffee is an excellent choice for people with fatty liver or alcoholic cirrhosis. The phytochemicals and antioxidants in coffee beans are liver-protective and appear to lower harmful liver enzymes in the blood.  

Avoid non-organic coffee that is typically high in liver-damaging chemicals and pesticide residues. 

7. Will bulletproof coffee block autophagy?

Autophagy depends on many factors—your fasting periods, metabolism, activity levels, and age impact when your body triggers autophagy. 

More extended fasting periods are more likely to stimulate autophagy, and bulletproof coffee can help prolong the time between meals. 

8. What is bulletproof coffee?

Bulletproof coffee is a keto-friendly beverage that combines black coffee, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), and grass-fed butter. 

It's a carb-free drink high in healthy fats. Bulletproof coffee is a highly nutritious keto-approved choice that raises your ketone levels, promotes ketosis, and can help you transition into more extended fasting periods.