What are the benefits of drinking coffee?

A simple Google search will show there’s no shortage of benefits to drinking coffee. A recent study published in the journal Nutrients showed that the richness of gut biome was higher in coffee drinkers. Those with a regular intake of coffee showed an increased number of helpful gut bacteria, and lower numbers of the harmful variety that might cause digestive and gut problems.

And that’s just the beginning. Boasting various health-boosting qualities, coffee also has a unique way of bringing people together. Think how many great ideas, new work projects and even new friends and relationships are made by the simple words, “let’s get a cup of coffee”. For many people, coffee is an integral part of the working day. A coffee to kick start the morning, coffee breaks, coffee in meetings. In fact, it’s hard to imagine office life without it!

So if you’re a coffee lover, (like we are, of course), or if you’re yet to fall in love with coffee, we’ve put together some of the many benefits of adding it to your diet.

How much coffee do we drink?

Although us Brits are known for enjoying a nice cup of tea, coffee has now overtaken tea as the UK’s most popular beverage.

In fact, we drank over 95 million cups of coffee last year and we’re 44th in place for the country that drinks the most coffee. That’s quite high given the UK is only a small country. The top three coffee-drinking counties are Finland, Norway and Iceland respectively.

Most of us drink around two cups of coffee per day and it’s not recommended to drink too much of it. In fact, the Department of Health (DoH) advises people not to drink more than five single espressos – that’s roughly seven instant coffees – a day. This is due to the caffeine present in coffee so if you opt for decaf, you can probably enjoy more than that if you want to.

Discover More: Why do office workers drink so much coffee?

Is coffee good for you?

Put simply, yes. Various studies have shown benefits that include reduction of risk of:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• Prostate cancer
• Melanoma
• Depression and suicide
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Liver cancer

Coffee can reportedly even help you live longer. The latest study in the Annals of Internal Medicine analysed coffee consumption habits of more than 170,000 people here in the UK aged 37 to 73. They followed them for an average of seven years. Researchers found that those who drank between 1.5 to 3.5 cups of coffee per day were 16% to 21% less likely to die from all cancer-related and cardiovascular disease-related mortalities during the study period, compared to non-coffee drinkers.

Finally, coffee is actually nutritious. It’s rich in manganese, potassium, niacin, magnesium and riboflavin.

Can coffee boost productivity?

It makes sense to offer your team a quality coffee experience at work. For one, it shows your team you care about them but also it can boost productivity, foster creativity and all round helps support a better workplace culture. A moderate amount of coffee can improve mood and energy levels, which is linked to increased productivity. Caffeine in coffee can improve cognitive function and memory which also helps to boost performance at work.

Coffee – a social lubricant?

Coffee houses have long acted as community hubs where people go for social interactions whether that’s with friends, colleagues, business prospects and even strangers. It’s a drink that has a natural ability to bring people together. It’s the first thing you offer a visitor to the office and it’s served in every meeting. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter. Despite this and considering its many health benefits, there are still some businesses serving up poor coffee in the office. It’s worth providing your team with great-tasting coffee as it’s vital to their happiness. If you’re a facilities or office manager, it’s important to keep your team happy, healthy and hydrated. Good coffee is a great place to start.

To find out more about our range of office coffee solutions, simply contact our friendly team. We’re all Speciality Coffee Association trained so we certainly know our beans. Give us a call today on 020 7553 7900 and we can provide a free demonstration in your office or you can pop into our showroom in the heart of London.