13-07-2025
'Demonised' drink actually has healthy benefits
A nutritional expert has praised a popular drink that is often 'demonised' by many for having negative impacts on heart rate and blood pressure. Tim Spector revealed how coffee can actually lower the likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and depression.
That's despite a lot of critics saying that coffee can be detrimental to your heart rate and blood pressure in the short term. But the professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London championed its benefits, reports GloucestershireLive.
Professor Spector is also the co-founder of the health app Zoe. He spoke of the potential benefits whilst on a podcast with coffee expert James Hoffman.
READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing star praised for 'real' Instagram post as fans share support
Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join
The scientist explained that there are essential nutrients packed in coffee, which also has a surprising amount of five. And studies have also shown that it could reduce heart attack risks by 25%.
And Prof Spector added that he is working on a scientific paper on coffee and the gut microbiome, and how interactions between the two can reduce our blood pressure and blood sugar. Watch the full discussion here.
He said: 'What are the health benefits? One of the key things in coffee. It's a complex area, but I think we're suddenly putting it together from a drink that was demonised as being very harmful to us to something that actually could be beneficial. Coffee is this fermented plant that has microbes acting on.
'It has hundreds, not thousands, of chemicals produced from it. There's range of polyphenols that are enhanced by the microbes as they ferment it. And those have direct effects on our body, and some of them can reduce blood sugar and reduce stress and actually reduce blood pressure. And the studies have now clearly shown that you get nearly as much benefit on the heart with decaffeinated coffee.'
Speaking previously in a health Q&A on his Instagram page, Prof Spector answered a number of questions about healthy eating and drinking - including how much coffee is healthy, eating breads and how to find and eat cheap vegetables and fruits. His answer on coffee is perhaps the most surprising - because he suggests people should have lots of it.
He said: 'Coffee is a health food, and we should all be drinking at least three cups a day, according to the latest science. And it doesn't matter if you don't want caffeine, just have decaf. It's probably just as healthy.
'In fact studies have shown that moderate coffee intake—about 2–5 cups a day—is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson's disease, and depression. It's even possible that people who drink coffee can reduce their risk of early death.'
