As one of the world’s most beloved beverages, coffee has long been considered beneficial in reducing risk for diabetes and heart disease. A recent observational study that discovered a positive association between heavy drinking and overall mortality may prompt some patients to reconsider their daily cup. While its limitations exist, additional research on its potential health benefits warrant further exploration.

Researchers published in Annals of Internal Medicine conducted an investigation using data from Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort to see whether coffee consumption among participants correlated with any incidences of kidney injury. Investigators also tracked the correlation between overall mortality and frequency of coffee consumption, as reported by 14,207 participants of this study who completed food frequency questionnaires and reported how many cups they drank daily. The authors found that those who consumed more than three cups of coffee daily were significantly more likely to experience acute kidney injury over a 24-year period compared with those drinking less than one cup daily, possibly due to caffeine’s diuretic properties and cardiovascular patients’ tendency to avoid coffee, making symptoms worsen further. They speculate that this result might be explained by caffeine’s diuretic properties or people avoiding coffee due to cardiovascular diseases; both factors could play a part.

Frequent coffee drinkers were more likely to be current smokers and consume fewer vegetables compared to non-coffee drinkers, and more likely to have higher systolic blood pressure than people who did not consume coffee; however, according to research conducted from UK Biobank data analysis, higher coffee intake levels were associated with reduced overall and cardiovascular disease-related mortality risks across different European populations.

Another recent study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2024 demonstrated that moderate coffee and tea consumption is linked to slower fluid intelligence decline. Furthermore, non-coffee drinkers experienced a greater decline compared to those who consumed coffee or tea regularly over time compared with those who consumed caffeine-containing beverages (Medscape Medical News). According to their investigators’ conclusion that these results supported “there may be different protections against dementia and Alzheimer’s at different molecular, behavioral and population levels”. (Medscape Medical News).