Do you like starting your mornings with a strong cup of coffee, or do you prefer a gentler tea? Either way, scientists have found that regularly drinking either beverage can provide a range of health benefits. But which one is better for you – coffee or tea?

Microbiome

Polyphenols found in coffee and tea have many potential health benefits, including reducing the risk of chronic disease and supporting gut health, according to Tim Spector, a professor at King’s College London. Coffee has more polyphenols than green tea, and green tea has more polyphenols than black tea.

If you want to know if someone is a coffee drinker, just take a look at their poop. That’s according to Spector and his colleagues, who have found that certain microbes seem to thrive in the guts of coffee drinkers. They haven’t seen the same effect in tea drinkers, though.

Mental Focus

If you need to buckle down and get some work done, coffee and tea can give you the concentration boost you need. Caffeine has been shown to help with things like attention span, vigilance, and reaction time. But be careful not to overdo it – too much caffeine can lead to jitteriness and over-arousal, which can actually end up hurting your productivity.

Caffeine levels in coffee and tea can depend on several conditions. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, an 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee generally has about 100 milligrams of caffeine. (Espresso and instant coffee have less.) By comparison, an 8-ounce cup of black tea usually has approximately 50 milligrams of caffeine.

It’s tough to say which is better – coffee or tea. A study asked people to drink four cups of each beverage throughout the day, and found that both had similar effects on alertness and cognitive performance.

However, tea had one big advantage over coffee: it had enough caffeine to aid performance, but not so much that it disrupted sleep. So if you’re looking for a drink that will help you stay focused and alert without keeping you up all night, tea is the way to go.

Fiber

Did you know that your morning coffee includes a dose of fiber? One study found that on average, coffee has between 1.1 and 1.8 grams of fiber per cup, depending on the type of coffee. This means that coffee can be a great way to get your daily dose of fiber. 

That might not sound like much, but it’s more than you’ll find in orange juice. Of course, you’ll still need to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to get the recommended 25 grams of daily fiber, but coffee can help you get there. A cup of tea, on the other hand, typically will not help you meet your daily fiber requirements – unless of course you decide to munch on the tea leaves.

Cancer Risk

Coffee drinkers have been found to have lower rates of cancer in numerous studies over the years. In fact, a meta-analysis of 59 studies across 40 cohorts showed that regular coffee drinkers had a 13 percent lower risk of developing cancer compared to those who seldom or never drank coffee.

So if you’re looking for ways to reduce your cancer risk, then making coffee a regular part of your diet may offer some protection against colorectal, prostate, liver, endometrial, oral and breast cancers.

There’s still more research to be done, but the American Cancer Society says that coffee contains many beneficial compounds. These compounds may help reduce inflammation, protect cells, and regulate genes involved in DNA repair.

Drinking coffee may help keep chronic diseases like cancer, obesity, and heart disease at bay. So next time you need a pick-me-up, reach for a cup of Joe! Even though studies haven’t found a link between tea consumption and cancer prevention, that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

A meta-analysis of 113 studies found that there is “little evidence to support the hypothesis that tea drinking is associated with cancer risk.” However, this is only from the studies conducted so far. More research may find a connection between tea and cancer prevention in the future.

Heart Disease

Studies have shown that coffee and tea may be good for your heart, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, it is still unclear exactly how these beverages impact heart health.

It could be that coffee and tea drinkers also have other healthy habits that contribute to their lower risk of heart disease, such as exercising more or eating a healthier diet. But it appears that the antioxidants and polyphenols found in coffee and tea may offer some protection for the heart.

There are many benefits to drinking tea and coffee, especially when it comes to heart health. Regular consumption of both green tea and decaffeinated coffee has been shown to slightly improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Additionally, drinking two to four cups of coffee per day has been linked with reductions in heart disease. These benefits are likely due to compounds other than caffeine, which suggests that anyone can enjoy these health benefits regardless of their caffeine intake.

Key Takeaway

If you’re a coffee drinker, you can raise a mug to fiber, microbiome health and lowering risk for cancer and diabetes. Studies have shown that coffee comes out on top in this battle over health benefits.