The healthiest type of coffee – and the ones to avoid

The way in which you prepare your brew can impact its health credentials more than you think. Here’s why

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“If you go back 20 years, there was quite a negative health picture attached to coffee,” notes Paul Rooke, executive director of the British Coffee Association. “That has turned around completely, as people have worked out that some components released from coffee when it’s roasted are good for your health.”
Warding off heart problems, Type 2 diabetes and dementia are just some of the ways that coffee is thought to strengthen our health, with studies suggesting that up to five cups per day is the ideal dose. Its potent effects are thought to be down to the long list of compounds it contains, like polyphenols, melanoidins and trigonelline, as well as its high fibre content.
However, the benefits swirling around your mug may be dictated by how it’s prepared. Here, the experts reveal the benefits and potential pitfalls of your go-to coffee.
Aficionados may turn their nose up at powdery instant coffee but they’re in the minority – it’s the most commonly consumed type of coffee in the UK.
It’s made from coffee beans that are ground into a fine powder, before water is added and extracted to draw out any moisture, explains Rooke. It is then spray-dried or freeze-dried.
Among its positives are that instant typically contains more antioxidants than ground coffee, which protect against cell damage, notes Dr Pál Maurovich-Horvat, the director of medical imaging at Semmelweis University in Budapest, who studies how coffee affects our health. This includes melanoidins, which increase the diversity of bacteria to the benefit of gut health.
But it does typically contain more caffeine and twice as much acrylamide than ground coffee, which may have harmful side effects, Dr Maurovich-Horvat notes.
Acrylamide has been declared a “probable human carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), meaning there’s strong evidence that the chemical can cause cancer in humans but not conclusive proof.
However, it’s worth bearing in mind that you would need to drink around 10 cups of instant coffee per day for their intake of acrylamide to become a concern, according to researchers at McGill University in Canada.
Filter coffee is passed through a paper or metal filter, such as those made with an Aeropress or filter coffee machine. Like all other coffee types that aren’t instant, it is made from beans that have been roasted and ground, Rooke explains.
For those looking for a heart-health boost, it may be the best option. Researchers in Norway, who analysed the coffee habits of 500,000 people over two decades, found that there were lower rates of artery disease and death amongst those who drank filter coffee.
One to four cups a day was the dose identified for this protective effect.
While the study doesn’t prove filtered is healthier than unfiltered, the scientists noted that unfiltered contains 30-times more diterpenes, specifically two types called cafestol and kahweol, which are compounds that can raise cholesterol and may therefore increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
However, a swathe of research has repeatedly found that coffee drinking in general benefits heart health.
Espresso coffees are those made by forcing hot water through finely-ground coffee beans. “Most coffees that you would buy in a coffee shop, whether it’s a latte or cappuccino, have got espresso as the base,” Rooke notes.
Research suggests espresso-based coffees may be especially beneficial for our brains.
One paper, from the University of Verona, found that, when studied in a lab, espresso prevented the build-up of a toxic protein called tau, which is thought to play a role in the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Espresso contains a high level of bioactive compounds (substances that affect our body), such as caffeine and chlorogenic acid (an antioxidant that has been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure and heart disease), Collins notes, which could play a role in this finding.
While instant or coffee-shop coffee is ready in a couple of minutes or less, cold brew coffee involves steeping beans in room-temperature water for much longer, typically overnight or for up to 24 hours.
The resulting drink is less bitter and acidic, which may make people less likely to add sugar and syrups, researchers have suggested.
Additionally, the long brewing process means that cold brew can have a higher concentration of bioactive components, compared to filter coffee, Collins explains. “The bioactives and the caffeine can be as high as espresso,” she notes.
If you’re hankering for a coffee without the jolt of energy that comes with it, opting for decaf may be in your health’s best interest.
It’s made by stripping the caffeine out of beans before they are roasted, though there will still be around 7mg of caffeine per mug (compared to around 100mg in a typical coffee).
Some studies suggest that people who only drink decaf coffee are in better health than those who don’t drink any coffee at all, Collins notes. This may be because “you still get the chlorogenic acid and beneficial compounds without the stimulatory effect of caffeine”.
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Studies highlighting the beneficial effects of decaf confirm that it’s not just the caffeine that’s boosting our wellbeing, Maurovich-Horvat says. “However, further studies with more detailed information on the type and preparation of consumed coffee are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms.”
No, not really. Despite the fact that there are more than than 100 varieties of coffee, there are no known health differences between them, says Collins
The two dominant bean varieties are Arabica [making up around 60 per cent of the coffee produced globally] and Robusta [amounting to around 30 per cent of the world’s coffee].
Robusta beans contain slightly more caffeine and the coffee they make has a more bitter taste than Arabica beans but neither type has been shown to be more beneficial for health, she says.
There is also no known variance in the health benefits offered by Liberica and Excelsa beans – the two other main types of coffee that collectively account for around 10 per cent of the global coffee production.
Pouring milk into your coffee adds nutrients and makes the drink less bitter, Collins explains. “The calcium in milk binds to some of the bitter components, particularly tannins,” making it easier to drink, she says. It also offers calcium, which helps maintain healthy bones and teeth.
However, women may want to be cautious of overdoing it as one study found that more than 300ml a day may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The scientists suggested that their findings may be down to the natural sugars found in milk triggering inflammation.
Adding cream, sugar or syrup simply adds to the calorie count in your coffee, as well as introducing saturated fat and sugar, Collins notes. “If you’re trying to watch your weight, the less you can add, the better,” she says.
“You may as well add the milk and get the calcium, whatever the milk you’re using, rather than adding sugar where you don’t get anything except calories.” Spices like cinnamon, cardamon or nutmeg can add flavour without adding excess calories or sugar.
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