The Coffee Debate - Should We Or Should We Not Be Drinking it?

I often have people ask me if they should continue drinking coffee or not. The answer (as usual) lies in what the person actually means - a syrup "enhanced" latte from a coffee shop is a very different drink from a black filter (or espresso) coffee made at home, which is a very different drink from freeze dried instant coffee. With regards the coffee beans - are these good for us? - the answer seems to err on the YES - as long as it's in moderation and as long as you don't have certain other medical issues (some arrhythmias of the heart, some adrenal or even renal issues, some endocrine disorders). As always - there is nuance. For most people 1-2 cups of coffee in a day seems to aid digestion and improve gut microbiome. There is a particular bacteria that is only found in significant colonies in the intestines of coffee drinkers (Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus) and this is seen to have beneficial effects to motility and digestion. As a Butyrate-producing bacteria it also improves the health of the gut wall and is beneficial in the gut-brain axis. Independent of these actions, several compounds in coffee seem to increase colonic contractibility and improve other beneficial microbiome colony numbers - possibly through prebiotic effects of some of it's polyphenols. Research is currently looking on whether adding milk increases or decreases the beneficial effects and from what I have read so far it is a mixed and (unsurprisingly) nuanced answer - I am beginning to feel that "nuance" is my key word in nearly everything I write! So the general answer is please keep drinking coffee - in small / moderate quantities. However think about what you are adding to that coffee - as sugars are likely to disrupt or negate some of the beneficial effects and milk (diary) will improve some benefits and decrease others. I have not yet had a chance to look at all the pros and cons of non-dairy milks, whether in coffee or for other consumption - but will try to do that in the next season. For further information on coffee and the gut see these: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-71264-8 https://zoe.com/learn/coffee-gut-bacteria-zoe-study https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7282261/