A nutritional expert has advocated for a “demonised” drink, claiming it is full of essential nutrients and could protect the heart.
Professor Tim Spector, co-founder of the Zoe health app, championed coffee, a drink which is known to temporarily raise blood pressure for its health benefits.
Speaking with coffee expert James Hoffmann on a new podcast, Prof Spector highlighted some of the pros of drinking coffee.
He said that not only coffee is packed full of essential nutrients and a surprising amount of fibre, but studies have shown that it could reduce the risk of heart attacks by 25 percent.
Prof Spector added that he is working on a scientific paper on coffee and the gut microbiome, and how interactions between the two can reduce our blood pressure and blood sugar.
He said: “What are the health benefits? One of the key things in coffee.
“It’s a complex area, but I think we’re suddenly putting it together from a drink that was demonised as being very harmful to us to something that actually could be beneficial.”
Prof Spector explained more about how coffee works.
“Coffee is this fermented plant that has microbes acting on,” he said.
“It has hundreds, not thousands, of chemicals produced from it.
“There’s a range of polyphenols that are enhanced by the microbes as they ferment it.
“And those have direct effects on our body, and some of them can reduce blood sugar and reduce stress and actually reduce blood pressure.
“And the studies have now clearly shown that you get nearly as much benefit on the heart with decaffeinated coffee.”
Speaking previously in a health Q&A on his Instagram page, Prof Spector revealed how much coffee we should be drinking daily.
He said: “Coffee is a health food, and we should all be drinking at least three cups a day, according to the latest science.
“And it doesn’t matter if you don’t want caffeine, just have decaf. It’s probably just as healthy.
“In fact studies have shown that moderate coffee intake—about two to five cups a day—is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and depression.
“It’s even possible that people who drink coffee can reduce their risk of early death.”
A meta-analysis of 36 studies, published in Circulation journal in 2013, found that a moderate coffee intake of three to five cups a day was linked with a 15 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, when compared to no cups.
Heavier coffee intake of six or more cups daily was neither associated with a higher nor a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
However, the NHS warns that drinking more than four cups of coffee a day could raise your blood pressure.
