Moderate coffee intake is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson’s disease and depression. 

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For years, researchers linked coffee to a higher chance of developing some conditions that we now believe it combats. Studies spanning the 1980s and ‘90s … pointed to coffee as a suspect in everything from heart disease to asthma.

Now, we know that there were likely several explanations for the early coffee studies that have overblown or even incorrectly construed its risks. For one thing…a number of studies followed groups of people who drank coffee and also smoked, leading researchers to believe that coffee explained the adverse effects now associated with cigarettes.

Coffee may impart a number of health benefits over time, but certain groups should approach consumption carefully. Not much is known about the effects of coffee on children. Meanwhile, caffeine has been found to have negative impacts on pregnancies. That’s why people who are expecting are usually asked to limit their coffee intake to 200 milligrams a day, the equivalent of about two cups. And for some, including people with panic or anxiety disorders, too much caffeine or its coffee equivalent can cause anxiety or other unwanted side effects. 

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