What Science Says About Their Health Benefits

You may be wondering about the health benefits of coffee versus tea. Both are rich in health-promoting compounds that may protect against many diseases, including certain cancers and diabetes.

Although drinking too much caffeine in coffee or tea can have side effects, research shows that moderate, long-term consumption of these drinks can benefit your health.

Both coffee and tea provide protective plant compounds that can support your health. Consumption of both drinks has been linked to a reduced risk of common diseases and protection against premature death.

Chronic disease prevention

Since coffee and tea contain health-protecting compounds and antioxidants, their regular consumption can reduce the risk of developing several diseases. For example:

• Coffee and tea may protect against certain cancers and type 2 diabetes.
• Consuming coffee and tea before and after a diabetes diagnosis has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of death.
• Drinking coffee and tea may also protect against dementia and stroke.

Increased longevity

Drinking coffee or tea can increase your chances of living a longer, healthier life.

A 2023 study found that drinking tea and coffee combined reduced all-cause mortality. The study showed that people who consumed 2 cups of tea and 2 cups of coffee per day had a 21% lower risk of cancer-related death. People who drank 3 cups of tea and at least 4 cups of coffee per day had a 24% lower risk.

The study also found that people who drank 4 cups of tea and 1 cup of coffee per day had a 22% lower risk of dying from heart disease.

Coffee is higher in caffeine, a natural stimulant, than tea, providing 91.8 milligrams (mg) per cup. A cup of black tea provides 47 mg per cup, while the same amount of brewed green tea contains 29.4 mg.

Coffee consumption has been shown to improve athletic performance, including reaction time, power, and aerobic capacity, largely due to caffeine.

Coffee may also protect against several liver conditions, including fatty liver disease and liver cancer.

One study found that coffee drinkers had a 23% lower risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and a 32% reduced risk of liver fibrosis compared to people who didn’t drink coffee.

Tea has unique health benefits, including improving mental health. Green tea contains an amino acid called L-theanine, which has anti-stress and anti-anxiety properties.

One study found that frequent green tea consumption was associated with a 34% reduction in the risk of depressive symptoms.

Regular tea consumption has also been shown to protect against heart disease by reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

Since coffee is significantly higher in caffeine than tea, people sensitive to caffeine should limit their consumption of coffee and highly caffeinated coffee products like espresso.

Consuming too much caffeine can lead to side effects such as anxiety, heart palpitations, headaches, high blood pressure, and pregnancy complications.

Experts recommend that adults limit their daily caffeine intake to less than 400 mg, or about 4 cups of coffee or 8 cups of black tea. Pregnant people should limit their daily caffeine intake to less than 200 mg.