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Coffee is definitely one of the most loved beverages of choice for people all over the globe. Its beginnings date back centuries ago in remote areas of Africa and Asia. Around the 17th Century, coffee bean plantations started popping up in Europe, and in the early 18th Century, in the Caribbean Islands. Since then, coffee producers have emerged and flourished throughout Latin and North America, leading to our era, where more than 8 adults out of 10 in the United States consume coffee regularly¹.
It’s been shown that coffee has incredible effects on the body, and for people looking to lose weight, it can definitely be a handy ally for busy mornings and long afternoons at work. Weight control is a non-negotiable for those who need to take care of their heart health. Coffee and, in particular, black coffee, can help control appetite, keep energy levels high, and even boost our metabolic rate for a few hours.
But are these effects truly healthy? Or are all the claims made on the benefits of coffee just aimed at selling more of it? Let’s look at some raw data.
Although coffee comes in plenty of different varieties, one of the most common reasons why people love it is the sudden burst of energy. As many know, this is not simply one key characteristic of coffee, but more precisely, it is due to coffee’s naturally high content of caffeine.
Caffeine is a molecule present not only in coffee beans but also in tea leaves, cocoa beans, yerba mate, guarana berries, and most artificial energy drinks on the market. However, although the molecule of caffeine is the same in all these sources, the way it gets absorbed in the body changes according to how it is consumed. This is why people often wonder if coffee is actually healthy or if the quick burst of energy underlines a way too aggressive reaction in the organism.
Before sentencing coffee once and for all, it’s worth mentioning that different individuals might react to caffeine in various ways. Some people, for example, can sleep very well even if they consume coffee regularly. Others experience heart palpitations and see their sleep quality drastically impaired even after a single cup of coffee.
The individual sensitivity to caffeine is a critical factor to keep in mind, as sleep is fundamental for heart health. If whenever you drink coffee, you notice falling asleep gets more difficult, and you no longer wake up fully refreshed, it might be your hint for a pretty high sensitivity to caffeine. Keep in mind that research has shown caffeine affects your system for an average of five hours². However, based on the individual level of susceptibility to caffeine, the period might range from a couple of hours up to nine. This is why it’s generally suggested to avoid having coffee after 2pm.
Other research on the effects of caffeine, specifically on heart health, ended up with inconclusive results. This might be due to a long list of reasons. First, coffee can be brewed and filtered using a wide range of methods. Some are definitely healthier than others. Indeed, it seems like filtered coffee is better for the heart, while coffee made without a paper filter can lead to an increase in LDL cholesterol in the blood³. Although this seems like a minor detail in how coffee is made, the different outcomes result from the fact that filtered parts might include oils or tiny roasted coffee bean parts. The taste might be milder, but healthier cholesterol levels are worth the change.
So, does caffeine really cause heart issues?
Although some studies have linked the consumption of three to five cups of coffee daily with a 15% reduction in heart disease⁴, other studies have witnessed an increase in blood pressure in some individuals due to the stimulatory effects caffeine has on the nervous system⁵. So, for most people, caffeine doesn’t seem to have adverse effects on heart health. Up to now, research has either seen no change in the rate of heart disease and stroke or little effects, such as a slightly lower incidence of stroke⁶.
At this point, you might be wondering if decaf coffee is a better alternative. First of all, if you’re among those individuals who have experienced side effects with a traditional cup of coffee, it probably means you should stay away from concentrated sources of caffeine. At the same time, alternatives such as decaf coffee or tea might work wonders in your case.
Keep in mind that decaf coffee is not caffeine-free; it’s simply a product coming from coffee beans processed with methods that leave no more than 3% of caffeine in the final product. Therefore, a cup of decaf coffee might have around 3mg of caffeine⁷ compared to the average 96mg present in a traditional serving of coffee. Apart from this, decaf coffee usually maintains all the other nutritional values, such as the antioxidants that make it such a good ally in fighting oxidation. So, for people highly sensitive to caffeine, decaf coffee might be a healthier alternative, causing no heart palpitations and having no bad effects on blood pressure but still coming with plenty of nutrients ready to fight those nasty free radicals. As oxidative damage is one of the factors leading to heart disease⁸, this is undoubtedly a strong point decaf coffee can take home against traditional coffee.
If you truly want to pick the best beverage for your heart health, then you should consider other options, too. Tea, and green tea in particular, is definitely one of the healthiest drinks you can consume for your nervous system, your heart, and your cells.
Indeed, the main differences between coffee and tea are the content of caffeine and how quickly it is absorbed. A cup of green tea has around 29mg of caffeine, and, compared to the caffeine present in coffee, the one of tea gets absorbed way slower. As a result, tea might not boost your energy as quickly as coffee does, but it will more likely release energy in a more extended timeframe. This is especially better for you if you wish to avoid energy crashes throughout the day.
Although both coffee and tea have been found healthy for the heart⁹, some further benefits can be found in green tea and matcha powder. Why am I mentioning matcha? Actually, green tea and matcha powder come from the same plant. However, the way these two products are grown and produced leads to different nutritional profiles. While both green tea and matcha contain plenty of antioxidants and the L-Theanine amino acid, matcha presents a higher concentration of both.
So, is matcha healthier than regular coffee?
Unless you decide to top up your cup of black coffee or matcha with too much sugar or fatty creamers¹⁰, both beverages are great options. Matcha has the ability to boost metabolism and support heart health due to its content of EGCG, a peculiar antioxidant. Moreover, L-Theanine, which we’ve mentioned before, is a particular amino acid able to reduce stress by increasing alpha waves in your brain¹¹. The combined result of caffeine absorbed slowly with L-Theanine is an increase in energy associated with lowered stress and sharper focus. Sounds like the great combo for a productive day at work, doesn’t it?
Overall, black coffee doesn’t seem to have adverse effects on heart health for most people. However, caffeine should not be the substance you rely on to have energy throughout the day. Caffeine is still a stimulant for the brain, and it’s well-known for its addictive effects. As some people react badly to caffeine, we’d generally suggest avoiding overusing it. It might be a general rule of thumb to consider green tea or matcha as the best everyday options, allowing for some coffee now and then when you truly want to enjoy that toasty taste.
Lastly, keep in mind whatever comes with your matcha or coffee makes the difference. Try skipping the added sugar, the extra syrups, or the creamers that might add up to hundreds of extra calories casually ending up in your cup.
If you seek more energy throughout the day, a good night’s sleep, along with a colorful, healthy diet, is the solution. Aim to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, and you’ll notice that morning coffee will no longer be the quick fix you so desperately crave.
¹ Temple JL, Bernard C, Lipshultz SE, Czachor JD, Westphal JA, Mestre MA. The Safety of Ingested Caffeine: A Comprehensive Review. Front Psychiatry. 2017 May 26;8:80. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00080. PMID: 28603504; PMCID: PMC5445139.
² Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Military Nutrition Research. Caffeine for the Sustainment of Mental Task Performance: Formulations for Military Operations. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2001. 2, Pharmacology of Caffeine. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223808/
³ Sun Ha Jee, Jiang He, Lawrence J. Appel, Paul K. Whelton, II Suh, Michael J. Klag, Coffee Consumption and Serum Lipids: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials, American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 153, Issue 4, 15 February 2001, Pages 353–362, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/153.4.353
⁴ Rodríguez-Artalejo F, López-García E. Coffee Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease: A Condensed Review of Epidemiological Evidence and Mechanisms. J Agric Food Chem. 2018 May 30;66(21):5257-5263. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b04506. Epub 2018 Jan 10. PMID: 29276945.
⁵ Kennedy MD, Galloway AV, Dickau LJ, Hudson MK. The cumulative effect of coffee and a mental stress task on heart rate, blood pressure, and mental alertness is similar in caffeine-naïve and caffeine-habituated females. Nutr Res. 2008 Sep;28(9):609-14. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2008.06.003. PMID: 19083466.
⁶ Shao C, Tang H, Wang X, He J. Coffee Consumption and Stroke Risk: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of more than 2.4 Million Men and Women. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2021 Jan;30(1):105452. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2020.105452. Epub 2020 Nov 11. PMID: 33188952.
⁷ Barone JJ, Roberts HR. Caffeine consumption. Food Chem Toxicol. 1996 Jan;34(1):119-29. doi: 10.1016/0278-6915(95)00093-3. PMID: 8603790.
⁸ Landete JM. Updated knowledge about polyphenols: functions, bioavailability, metabolism, and health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2012;52(10):936-48. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2010.513779. Retraction in: Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2015;55(12):1792. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2015.1016371. PMID: 22747081.
⁹ Bøhn SK, Ward NC, Hodgson JM, Croft KD. Effects of tea and coffee on cardiovascular disease risk. Food Funct. 2012 Jun;3(6):575-91. doi: 10.1039/c2fo10288a. PMID: 22456725.
¹⁰ Paglia L. The sweet danger of added sugars. Eur J Paediatr Dent. 2019 Jun;20(2):89. doi: 10.23804/ejpd.2019.20.02.01. PMID: 31246081.
¹¹ White DJ, de Klerk S, Woods W, Gondalia S, Noonan C, Scholey AB. Anti-Stress, Behavioural and Magnetoencephalography Effects of an L-Theanine-Based Nutrient Drink: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial. Nutrients. 2016 Jan 19;8(1):53. doi: 10.3390/nu8010053. PMID: 26797633; PMCID: PMC4728665.
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