Professor Tim Spector says ‘demonised’ drink reduces blood pressure and cuts stress

Professor Tim Spector has revealed the surprising beverage he believes we should all be sipping on each morning. Prof Spector, a genetic epidemiology expert at King’s College London, has advised us to ditch the sugary drinks like smoothies and instead hydrate with water and tea.

But his top recommendation might raise some eyebrows – coffee. Despite its reputation for being high in caffeine and potentially causing issues such as headaches, insomnia, and even a rapid heartbeat, he insists that coffee has been unfairly ‘demonised’.

In fact, he goes as far as to say it is so beneficial, it should be classified as a ‘health food’. He even claims it’s ‘much healthier’ than another breakfast staple – orange juice.

On The Proof Podcast, he said: “If you are going to drink anything, it should be water, it should be tea, or coffee particularly. (We know) it is now much healthier than orange juice and should be in the health food section because coffee is actually a fermented plant that is actually packed with polyphenols.

“If you have three cups a day, it actually has a reasonable amount of fibre in it. About a third of the US fibre total comes from their coffee drinking, which is a frightening thought.

“I would say your gut microbes don’t like lots of sugar because they don’t get to see any of it. You should avoid all those things.”

Research has indicated that a moderate intake of coffee, around 2-5 cups daily, is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and depression. It’s even suggested that coffee drinkers could lower their chances of premature death.

Intriguingly, Prof Spector stated that decaffeinated coffee is just as beneficial as the regular kind. He is currently working on a scientific paper exploring the relationship between coffee and the gut microbiome, and how their interaction can help lower our blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

“It’s a complex area, but I think we’re suddenly putting it together from a drink that was demonised as being very harmful to us to something that actually could be beneficial. It has hundreds, not thousands, of chemicals produced from it,” he added.

“There’s a range of polyphenols that are enhanced by the microbes as they ferment it. And those have direct effects on our body, and some of them can reduce blood sugar and reduce stress and actually reduce blood pressure. And the studies have now clearly shown that you get nearly as much benefit on the heart with decaffeinated coffee.”