Coffee has been tied to several evidence-backed health benefits, The Washington Post reported Thursday, July 2, citing hundreds of studies on the widely consumed drink.
The report noted that coffee contains more than 1,000 chemical compounds, including magnesium, potassium, niacin, and other B vitamins.
Research once raised concerns about coffee and cancer risk. But The Post reported that later studies found early links were often complicated by smoking, since smokers also tended to drink more coffee.
More studies have since pointed in a different direction.
One of the strongest findings involves liver health. The Post reported that coffee drinkers have been found to have lower rates of liver cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and other liver diseases.
Coffee drinking has also been linked to a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.
The report said many large studies have found that people who drink three to four cups of coffee a day have about a 25 percent lower risk of developing the disease compared with people who drink little or no coffee.
Coffee may also be linked to a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, with researchers pointing to caffeine as one possible factor.
Another possible benefit is movement.
The Washington Post cited a 2023 study in which participants walked about 1,000 more steps on days when they drank caffeinated coffee.
The report stressed that coffee has been studied across many health outcomes, and the benefits may vary by person, amount consumed, and overall health.
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