Coffee may be better for you than you think: 7 ways it may safeguard your health, from lowering the risk of developing type 2 diabetes to protecting against Alzheimer’s disease
- On World Coffee Day, we look at the many health benefits a daily cup or two of Joe can offer
- From preventing heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s to protecting the liver, studies highlight goodness of coffee and its components – caffeine and antioxidants
The coffeehouses of the 17th and 18th centuries are often lauded as being key in driving the Age of Enlightenment – a philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe.
Great minds of the time, including British mathematician Isaac Newton, astronomer Edmond Halley, scientist Robert Hooke and other members of the intelligentsia would meet over a cup to discuss anything from science and philosophy to fashion.
Coffee is still fuelling conversations now, but it is consumed mostly with a lot less ceremony and in many more forms – instant, cold-brewed, French-pressed to name a few – and made with single-origin beans from all over the world, in various roasts and even dressed up with syrup and whipped cream.
Studies have shown that the “right amount” of coffee may confer many health benefits, including preventing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, even kidney disease. But what is the right amount of coffee?
“Technically, you can drink up to five cups of standard coffee a day,” says Hong Kong registered dietitian Zoe Tsui. “The guidance is 300mg of caffeine a day.” The amount will differ depending on whether it is a double-shot latte or just an espresso shot.
“This is why we usually advise drinkers to limit [themselves] to one to two cups a day, which brings down the chances of going over.”