Coffee is the most popular drink worldwide according to the British Coffee Association, with around two billion cups consumed every day. It is rich in vitamin B2, antioxidants, soluble fibers and trace minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
While the functional coffee craze, which predominantly involves coffee blends featuring adaptogenic ingredients, represents a market worth $4.48 billion according to insights from Mordor Intelligence, the health benefits of coffee alone are now recognized in an established social media trend, with #HealthyCoffee gaining serious momentum on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
With over 192,000 Instagram hashtags, 44,400 TikTok posts and a 40% surge in Google searches over the past year, consumer interest is clearly on the rise.
Health benefits of coffee
A growing body of research is exploring the effects of coffee’s bioactive compounds, including caffeine, catechins and polyphenols.
Coffee may be beneficial to heart health, according to a 12-year study including around 450,000 participants, which found that two to three cups daily correlated with fewer arrhythmias and cardiovascular events. Some research also indicates that morning coffee consumption may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Research also indicates that coffee may shape the gut microbiome, supporting up to 115 microbial species. In a recent analysis of 22,800 participants, coffee drinkers were found to have distinct gut microbiome profiles, which the authors suggest may help explain some of coffee’s health benefits. Personalized nutrition tech company Zoe has also conducted research that found coffee drinkers are more likely to have greater microbiome diversity, likely due to its prebiotic fiber content.
Additionally, coffee may cut body fat and build muscle, according to a Spanish research team that reported that participants who drank three cups of coffee daily for 12 weeks lowered their body fat and increased muscle mass. The phenolic compounds in the coffee were found to reduce fat mass, improve carbohydrate metabolism, lower blood lipids and potentially protect against obesity and hypertension.
Factors affecting coffee’s health value
Beyond its inherent chemistry, the way coffee is grown can also impact its nutrition profile. If cultivated at a higher altitude, it is likely to have higher acidity due to cooler growing temperatures, which slow down fruit ripening and enables the development of more sugars and organic acids.
Some research has found that higher altitudes promote the accumulation of chlorogenic acids (CGAs) in coffee beans, which can offer various health benefits due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been found to help regulate blood sugar levels, improve blood pressure and potentially aid in weight management
Coffee beans grown at higher altitudes, however, are likely to have a lower caffeine content than those grown at lower altitudes. This is because caffeine is produced by the plant as a natural pesticide, and a higher altitude plant will be less exposed to environmental threats like insects or bacterias, therefore reducing the need to protect itself.
Caffeine is well recognized for its stimulating effects, often used for enhancing alertness, physical performance, energy levels and focus.
While raw coffee beans contain some beneficial compounds, it is the roasting process that releases the antioxidants.
A light roast coffee has been found to be higher in antioxidants like CGAs, while a dark roast coffee will be lower in acidity as the longer roast depletes CGAs, making it more digestible for people with GI issues or stomach sensitivity.
However, roasting for health purposes is nuanced, and recent research has found that the properties of a roasted coffee change dependant on variety, altering phenolic and antioxidant differently from species to species.
This growing emphasis on roast type in #HealthyCoffee influencer recommendations is reflects the increasing importance of roast in conversations around coffee and health.
Healthy coffee brands
With growing conditions and roasting both shaping coffee’s potential health value, brands are now positioning their products to maximize these benefits.
UK-based coffee brand Exhale claims to be the “only company in the world to source and roast coffee to both maximize the levels of polyphenols and measure their antioxidant power using independent laboratories across the UK and Europe”.
Additionally, the brand says that two cups of Exhale coffee provide 20% RDA of niacin, which contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, the normal functioning of the nervous system, normal psychological function and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
U.S. coffee brand Rahm Roast took a ‘clean coffee’ route, promoting its patent-pending technology that is designed to remove mold and toxins from coffee beans.
“Many people are unaware that coffee is among the most chemically treated crops in the world,” the company stated. “Pesticides, mold and toxins can contaminate low-quality beans, negatively affecting health.”
Balance Coffee, who also sell functional coffee blends with various adaptogens, was launched in 2020 by biohacking enthusiast James Bellis when he set out to bring a “healthier range of coffee products to a growing health-conscious market”. He worked with a nutritionist to create roasts that reportedly contain more than “1,000 antioxidants in every single cup”.
Lifeboost, the U.S. company founded in 2015, specifically positioned its products as coffees to support digestion, using shade-grown beans to yield a “low-acid, stomach-friendly, healthy brew.”
Dr. Charles Livingston, CEO and founder of Lifeboost, stated: “Our stomach-friendly, low-acid coffee beans are naturally grown to full maturity—ensuring the most nutrients enter the bean, sun dried and gently washed with spring water before roasting.”
Another brand, Purity Coffee, is focusing on sustainable practices for human and planetary health.
The company’s managing director, Mark Hyman, noted: “Purity Coffee has come across science that clearly shows coffee grown in a regenerative way—in a way that regenerates the soil and the ecosystem—actually produces better coffee, with more antioxidants and phytochemicals.”
Cardiology Coffee, founded by cardiologist Dr. Jack Wolfson, promotes the ‘health-healthy compounds’ in beans, referencing their high gallic acid profile, which can support heart health by improving blood vessel function and lowering blood pressure, as well as quercetin content, which has been found to relax blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and combat vessel inflammation.
