Coffee is an immensely popular beverage worldwide, consumed daily by an estimated 3.5 billion cups worldwide. Coffee offers energy and alertness boosts as well as many essential vitamins and nutrients necessary for overall wellbeing; however, adding too much sugar or high-saturated fat creamers could negate these health benefits; switching to unsweetened coffee could reduce added sugars consumption while simultaneously improving its benefits to health.

Coffee’s health impacts are mostly associated with its caffeine content. Caffeine’s stimulating effects may increase metabolic rate, increasing energy expenditure and helping burn more fat. Coffee also contains potassium which supports healthy blood pressure levels as well as soluble fibre that may lower your risk for heart disease.

Recent research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that adding sweeteners or creamers to coffee significantly decreases its health benefits. Researchers studied participants who consumed coffee regularly with or without sweeteners or creamers added on, then compared their consumption rates against those who only drank unadulterated coffee; results demonstrated those regularly drinking sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened varieties experienced a greater risk of body weight gain and all-cause mortality than their counterparts who only consumed plain coffee without added ingredients.

But those who drank only coffee without any added ingredients did not demonstrate an association between drinking coffee and overall mortality, adjusted for potential confounders such as socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, diet quality and other health behaviors, and death rates. Their findings mirrored previous studies which had demonstrated a U-shaped correlation between coffee consumption and overall mortality rates.

Coffee’s phenolic compounds have been shown to not only keep you alert but also to help protect against Parkinson’s disease and improve mood, promote regular bowel movements, provide antioxidant protection against oxidative stress and chronic disease, promote healthy bowel movements and support overall wellness. But for maximum efficiency it should be consumed sparingly in dessert-style beverages which often contain too much added sugar and saturated fats.

If you’re ready to transition away from sweetened coffee, start slowly by gradually decreasing your sugar consumption over time. This gives your taste buds time to adapt while helping create healthier habits with coffee. Natural sweeteners such as stevia or monk fruit sweetener may provide additional sweetness; alternatively spices add delicious flavor without extra calories and sugar intake.