Is coffee good for your health?

DW (English)

For years, coffee had a bad reputation. It was said to harm the heart, or even cause cancer. But new studies have now linked the popular morning drink to a number of health benefits.

Transcript

00:01Coffee. For many people, it's just a nice way to wake up.

00:06But there's a lot more to it. It's even good for your health.

00:11Coffee was demonized for years. People thought it was dangerous.

00:15Today, we believe it's almost the opposite. It might actually be a kind of universal remedy.

00:20Scientists are now discovering everything coffee contains, thanks to new studies.

00:25In their Stuttgart-based roastery, Maike Fröhlich and her husband, Damir Lazarowicz, have been working with coffee for 24 years.

00:34They process it the traditional way, in a drum roaster. That determines the quality.

00:40We roast the coffee for about 15 to 20 minutes at maximum 190 degrees Celsius.

00:47At around 10 minutes, the harsh acids break down, making the coffee smoother and easier on the stomach.

00:52Coffee's unique flavor comes from the many different acids and aromatic compounds.

00:58Many of those aromas only develop during roasting, when proteins and sugars in the bean react.

01:04One important compound is chlorogenic acid.

01:09During roasting, it turns into antioxidants.

01:13And these are believed to give coffee its cell-protecting properties.

01:16At the Diabetes and Health Centre in Düsseldorf, Dr. Stefan Martin has been studying coffee for over 10 years.

01:29He's a passionate consumer of the drink himself, and has carried out several studies on coffee and its components with his team.

01:36Coffee is a natural product, and it contains many of the same compounds we find in vegetables.

01:46That's why I often refer to coffee as liquid vegetables.

01:50Because the secondary plant compounds, the antioxidants that are found in vegetables, are also in coffee,

01:56and likely have similarly beneficial effects.

02:04Dr. Martin has found that these secondary plant compounds in coffee have anti-inflammatory effects,

02:09and roasting actually enhances them.

02:12The diabetes specialist has also looked closely at the wider body of research on the bean.

02:17We know, for example, that people who drink a lot of coffee are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

02:26They also have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, like heart attacks and strokes.

02:32And that shows up clearly in the research, even when it comes to the most serious measure of all, mortality and death rate.

02:39Several studies show that people who drink a lot of coffee live longer than those who don't,

02:44regardless of whether it contains caffeine or not.

02:51And coffee also seems to have a beneficial effect on appetite,

02:56which could be an important factor when it comes to liver disease.

02:59If you're less hungry, you eat less, and that has a positive impact on the liver.

03:05In an Australian study, a team of researchers analysed data from about half a million participants aged 40 to 69.

03:12Years before, these individuals had shared information about their health, lifestyle, and coffee drinking habits.

03:22The researchers focused on those who had healthy hearts at the start of the study.

03:29Then they looked at which of them, coffee drinkers versus non-coffee drinkers, were still healthy after 12 years,

03:35and who had developed cardiovascular disease.

03:39The result? Those who drank two to three cups of coffee a day had the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease and a lower death rate.

03:48Those who drank four to five cups a day had the lowest risk of developing heart arrhythmias.

03:57With caffeine or decaf, what's the recommendation when it comes to blood pressure?

04:02If you only occasionally consume it, caffeine may cause your blood pressure to rise.

04:13But for people who drink coffee regularly and consume a lot of caffeine, the body builds up a tolerance.

04:19So overall, based on all the available studies, there's no real evidence of a lasting increase in blood pressure.

04:32If you're looking for a coffee that won't make you buzz quite as much, go for Arabica.

04:39Maike Fröhlich and her husband are happy with how today's roast turned out.

04:42Mmm, very good.

04:43Very fine.

04:44Another perfect cup of coffee.

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