A quick cautionary word: “may.” Research on the benefits of black coffee – and coffee in general – is still being done. Most of the benefits we’ll be listing appear to be real. But until the medical world is in full agreement that coffee can provide a specific medicinal benefit, we’ll be using words like “may” or “appear” a lot. The overall evidence is overwhelming, though, that drinking black coffee, in moderation, is good for you.

One more quick clarification: Most of the studies we cite have been done to discover the effects of coffee in general, not black coffee specifically. However, researchers commonly use black coffee for this work, and there’s generally no reason that adding milk or cream would be better for your health than drinking your coffee black.

Here we go.

It’s Better for You than Most Other Beverages

Black coffee contains no fat. It contains no calories. It contains no carbohydrates. It contains no cholesterol. But unlike water, it does contain vitamins and minerals that the body needs, including potassium, magnesium, manganese, and vitamins B-2, B-3 and B-5. That doesn’t mean that black coffee is a nutritional powerhouse; it simply means that it’s better for you than soda, juice or even milk.

There’s a way to add even more nutritional value to black coffee: turning it into keto coffee by adding MCT coconut oil, and ghee or grass-fed butter. Even easier: ready-to-drink Super Coffee, which has the MCT oil and extra protein already added.

It May Help You Lose Weight

This isn’t the most “proven” benefit of black coffee, but it’s the one that people ask about the most.

A meta-analysis of twelve different studies on coffee consumption and obesity concluded that a higher coffee intake was associated with lower body mass index and waist circumference. That would make sense, because coffee contains chlorogenic acid, magnesium, caffeine and trigonelline, all of which have been linked to anti-obesity benefits. There appears to be a related benefit, too; we’ll discuss that next.

It Can Speed Up Your Metabolism

Coffee drinking speeds up the body’s metabolism, and a higher metabolism can lead to greater weight loss. That’s not the only positive effect of a higher metabolism; when your energy levels are high, you tend to be less hungry and eat less.

It Lowers Diabetes Risk

Numerous studies have shown that drinking black coffee can reduce the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes, apparently because of coffee’s antioxidant properties and some of the minerals it contains. In one of the largest research projects, participants who increased their daily coffee consumption by more than one cup lowered their diabetes risk by 11%. Conversely, the risk increased by 17% for those who cut their consumption by more than a cup per day. The results of one other study were also particularly noteworthy: the effect is the same for people who regularly drink either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.

It May Improve Your Cardiovascular Health

Black coffee appears to be very good for your heart. A summary of 21 different research studies has found that moderate consumption of coffee is associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease. The evidence isn’t conclusive for heavy coffee drinkers, but a meta-analysis of 36 different studies seems to imply that there’s no greater risk of heart disease among healthy people who drink more than five cups of black coffee per day. There’s more good news, too: at least one study shows that coffee may actually lower chances of suffering a stroke.

It Contains High Levels of Important Antioxidants

The heading of this section actually undersells this point. Believe it or not, coffee is said to be the most important source of antioxidants in adults’ diets, and drinking it black maximizes their benefit. High levels of antioxidants prevent oxidative stress and damage it can cause in the body. Oxidative stress is believed to be responsible for heart disease (as just discussed), diabetes and some forms of cancer, among many other possible negative health outcomes.

It Can Protect the Liver

Liver disease is one of the serious conditions that can be prevented by high levels of antioxidants in the body. But coffee is good for the liver in other ways as well, because studies have found that black coffee boosts the performance of important liver enzymes. The research shows that drinking two or more cups of coffee every day seems to prevent fibrosis and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. It may also prevent cases of hepatitis and other types of liver damage, including liver cancer, from getting worse.

It Improves Brain Function

You’re not imagining things if it seems that you think more clearly after a cup of coffee. Studies have shown that overall cognition, memory and attention span all increased after participants had a freshly-brewed cup.

Caffeine is largely credited for those effects, because it’s a stimulant. But it’s not just the caffeine; research shows that decaf has nearly the same effect. The answer may be linked to the same reason why black coffee is believed to protect against neurological diseases like Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia: phenylindanes.

Those are compounds formed when coffee beans are roasted, and they apparently inhibit the action of toxic proteins that can build up in the brain and cause neurological damage or disease. One other interesting fact: the longer the beans roast, the more phenylindanes that are produced. Experts believe that means dark roast coffee may actually protect the brain better than a lighter roast.

Other Potential Benefits of Black Coffee

As the man says in the infomercial, “But wait! There’s more!”

There’s research showing that drinking black coffee can help with even more medical and health issues.

• Depression: When people call coffee a “pick-me-up,” it’s not just a figure of speech. Research shows that drinking at least four cups of coffee per day can lower the risk of depression by 20%.
• Stress: This one may seem odd, since coffee’s more likely to get you amped up than relaxed. However, there’s evidence that low amounts of caffeine can actually help reduce some people’s anxiety levels. As you certainly know, though, too much coffee can give you the jitters; studies have also shown that it can produce spikes in blood pressure. There’s a bit of good news there, however; long-term coffee drinkers don’t experience that same effect on their blood pressure.
• Cleansing the system: Alternative medicine practitioners may recommend coffee enemas to “detox” the body, but there’s no medical evidence supporting that practice and it could be dangerous. That doesn’t mean black coffee can’t help in a more palatable way; large amounts of coffee can act as a diuretic that spurs urination. Diuretics are often helpful for the treatment of high blood pressure, and some believe (without evidence) they can cleanse the body of toxins as well.
• Cancer: We’ve already mentioned the possibility that black coffee can help fight liver cancer. There are also promising indications that it has more general anti-cancer properties.

It certainly sounds like the news about black coffee is all good. To be fair, we have to at least consider the other side of the story.

When consumed in moderate amounts, it’s unlikely that drinking black coffee can do you any harm. Naturally, the caffeine can make you wired, which is not exactly what you want before bedtime. “Moderation” is the key word, though, since more than four cups a day can lead to side effects like headache and anxiety in those who aren’t used to mainlining coffee

Other than that, however, a few cups a day shouldn’t do you any harm unless you already suffer from acid reflux. In that case, coffee’s acidity can make things worse.

What about those stories you hear that coffee can trigger heart issues? It’s true that those who already have multiple cardiovascular risks, but don’t usually drink coffee, might be slightly more likely to have a heart attack within an hour. But that’s extremely rare, and people without heart issues or who drink more than an occasional cup don’t have to worry about it. The only concern that’s apparently worth considering is that those with heart disease who have more than five cups a day could be at greater risk.

However, the average American only drinks about three cups of coffee a day. If you fall into that category and don’t have the health risks we’ve just mentioned, don’t be worried when you sit down with your morning coffee, or stop at your local coffee shop to pick up a cup of black coffee or espresso on your way to work. You’ll be just fine – and you’ll probably be enjoying your coffee more than someone who loads it down with cream and sugar.