Health benefits of coffee ‘outweigh its risks’

A new study has offered evidence that the health benefits of drinking coffee are greater than its potential risks.

Researchers at Ulster University have systematically reviewed 1,277 studies from 1970 onwards to assess coffee's effect on human health, with the results published in the Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety journal.

It found that the general scientific consensus is that regular, moderate coffee drinking – defined as three to four cups per day – has an essentially neutral effect on health, or can be mildly beneficial.

However, it was also noted that the causality of the risk-benefit profile cannot be established for with the research currently available, as it is largely based on observational data.

As such, further research may be needed to get a better insight into this relationship, as well as identifying which of the many active ingredients of coffee may be responsible for providing health benefits.

This comes after a recent review by the World Health Organization indicated that drinking coffee does not cause cancer, though consuming very hot drinks can.