Will three cups of coffee a day benefit your health?

A lot of us enjoy the fine pleasures of coffee throughout the day, and some of us even depend on it to get us going in the morning. Those same people, however, will have likely heard that they shouldn’t drink too much as it might be detrimental to their health. However, according to a new review of studies, drinking multiple cups of coffee not only isn’t dangerous, but it might have some added health benefits.

 

The health benefits of coffee

 

While drinking coffee moderately is advised, it is also perfectly safe and researchers at the University of Southampton have found that three to four cups a day may actually have its benefits.

The University collected data from more than 200 studies that looked into the impact coffee has on all aspects of the human body. What they found was that compared to non-coffee drinkers, those who consumed three cups of coffee a day seemed to reduce their odds of suffering from heart problems or dying from them.

According to the research, the main benefit of moderate coffee drinking was a significantly reduced risk of developing liver disease. The experts do state, however, that people shouldn’t take up coffee drinking in order to reap health benefits and that too much coffee during pregnancy can be dangerous.

 

The benefits outweigh the risks

 

Further to this, Professor Paul Roderick of the faculty of medicine at University of Southampton, and the co-author of the study, has said that the review could not guarantee that drinking coffee was the difference maker: "Factors such as age, whether people smoked or not and how much exercise they took could all have had an effect.”

But adding to that, Prof. Roderick said: “There is a balance of risks in life, and the benefits of moderate consumption of coffee seem to outweigh the risks.”

So, it seems to be that the saying 'everything in moderation' applies here, and that a reasonable amount of coffee a day is nothing to worry about.

There are of course myriad ways in which one can improve their healthy wellbeing: from getting more sleep, exercising and eating nutritious foods, to looking after one’s mental health and body via a well-deserved spa break in west Yorkshire.

So don’t rely on coffee to improve your health, there are far better options available. But don’t beat yourself up if you do find yourself sipping on that third or fourth cup.