Is coffee good for you? How it affects your weight, cancer risks and longevity, and why children and teens should not drink it

Coffee contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that are linked to a reduced risk of cancer and diabetes – but too much can raise blood pressure

Drinking coffee is unlikely on its own to help you lose much weight, though it depends how much you have and when, experts say

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Is coffee good for you? Experts address some common myths about the drink and highlight research findings about the drink. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 7:45pm, 23 Jul 2021Updated: 7:45pm, 23 Jul 2021

Ah, coffee. The first thing you drink when you wake up, the drink you rely on to cure your afternoon drowsiness and the solution to your all-nighter.

But what about all the common myths that we’ve heard when it comes to coffee? Does drinking it lead to long-term weight loss? Is it true that drinking coffee will shorten our lifespan? Is it really unhealthy? Are we getting extra caffeine if we opt for a darker roast at the coffee shop?

Experts help unravel some of the mysteries that lie behind one of the most popular beverages in the world.

According to Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at US academic medical centre Mayo Clinic, caffeine is a stimulant that increases metabolism in the body. She says that caffeine alone, however, does not contribute to long-term weight loss as there are other factors to take into consideration, including healthy diet and exercise.

Caffeine is a stimulant that increases metabolism in the body – but it alone does not contribute to long-term weight loss. Photo: Getty Images

“Caffeine can increase your basal metabolic rate, but the basal metabolic rate has only a small percentage overall of what happens with how we burn calories,” Zeratsky said. “It is probably not going to be significant enough to see a change in weight that most people are looking for.”