Coffee is experiencing a healthy moment as more studies emerge linking coffee consumption to positive health benefits, and the wellness market continues to expand.
Coffee is healthy — officially. As of April 2025, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that coffee products containing fewer than five calories per 12 ounces now automatically qualify for the “healthy” label.
The updated ruling is part of the agency’s attempt to help consumers identify which foods and beverages can be part of a balanced diet. In an announcement in December 2024, the FDA said, “The ‘healthy’ claim can empower consumers by providing a quick signal on food package labels to help consumers identify foundational foods for building healthy dietary patterns.”
The National Coffee Association (NCA), which has been a keen promoter of coffee’s health benefits for years and wrote in support of the move in 2023, welcomed the ruling.
“FDA’s determination that plain coffee automatically qualifies to be labeled as ‘healthy’ is remarkably important not only for the coffee industry, but also for the two-thirds of Americans who drink coffee each day,” NCA CEO and president William “Bill” Murray says. “We know that Americans are more interested than ever in how their diet choices impact health, and we think that knowing more about coffee’s association with health benefits will just give Americans yet another reason to love their favorite beverage.”
NCA CEO and president William “Bill” Murray lobbied for coffee’s healthy classification for years. Photo credit: National Coffee Association
Researchers have been studying coffee’s impact on various diseases and conditions for decades, and the majority have found that, yes, coffee is beneficial. The FDA’s ruling bestows an official stamp on this belief, and also adds an air of legitimacy to the growing crossover between the coffee and wellness industries.
Science Says Coffee Is Healthy — Mostly
Coffee is hugely popular. In the United States, it often overtakes water as the country’s most consumed beverage — in its Spring 2025 National Coffee Data Trends report, NCA found that 66% of American adults drink coffee every single day.
Possibly due to its widespread consumption, coffee is very well-studied: As of 2021, there were nearly 50,000 papers that included the words “coffee” or “caffeine” in the PubMed literature database. For decades, researchers have been investigating the impact of coffee on health, from specific diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes to broader topics like mortality itself.
In general, the consensus so far is that coffee, both caffeinated and decaffeinated, is considered healthy. One recent study found that drinking coffee, specifically in the morning, reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease; another linked coffee consumption to a reduced risk of developing head and neck cancers. Multiple studies have found that drinking coffee can help mitigate the effects of aging, both physically and mentally. One study even found that just the anticipation of drinking coffee can have the same effect as caffeine on energy levels.
Research that relies on self-reported coffee consumption surveys isn’t always reliable and should be interpreted with caution.
However, it’s not all positive. Studies often contradict one another — a 2022 study found that heavy coffee consumption increased the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality among those with severe hypertension, while studies have shown both positive and negative associations between coffee and Parkinson’s disease. These results highlight the limitations of research that relies on self-reported coffee consumption surveys, which, as noted in a 2024 study, “may be subject to bias” and “should be interpreted with caution” due to their potential for misestimation.
Popular perceptions of coffee’s health benefits have swung back and forth for centuries. As Jenn Chen wrote for Sprudge in 2024, since its discovery, coffee has been recommended for treating headaches, stomach issues, and wounds, as well as promoting general well-being. On the flipside, historic worries over caffeine consumption have resulted in extreme negative reactions, including prohibitions and moral panics.
Dr. Joan Salge Blake, a dietitian and nutrition professor at Boston University, cautions that, when it comes to daily consumption, moderation is key. “The consumption of coffee and its potential health benefits is considered an ‘association,’ not a causation,” she says. “FDA states that up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is about two to three 12-fluid-ounce cups of coffee, is safe to drink. This amount is not associated with any negative effects for most adults.”
Dr. Joan Salge Blake, a dietitian and nutrition professor at Boston University, recommends moderate consumption (2-3 cups of coffee a day). Photo credit: Dr. Joan Salge Blake
However, Blake notes that people with caffeine sensitivity, or those with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, as well as pregnant women and those looking to become pregnant, should be more careful. “You should always discuss your personalized coffee or caffeine intake with your health care provider,” she says.
The Growth of Coffee Wellness
Coffees featuring adaptogenic mushrooms are a rapidly growing segment in the health and wellness beverage market. Photo credit: Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee
Considering that the general scientific consensus is that coffee is healthy, it makes sense for coffee companies to promote this fact to their customers.
Pitching coffee as healthy is not a new phenomenon: Coffee sellers have always tried to claim that their product is good for you. The French coffee merchant and apothecary Philippe Sylvestre Dufour wrote Traités nouveaux et curieux du Café, du Thé et du Chocolat in 1685, a book which extolled the various health benefits of consuming coffee, tea, and chocolate.
The modern coffee and wellness industries have been cross-pollinating for years. Bulletproof coffee has been around for more than a decade, as has the now-trendy Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee company. In recent years, however, these trends have gained significant traction, as evidenced by Starbucks’ recent addition of protein coffees to its menu.
Bulletproof Coffee was one of the first brands to combine functional ingredients with coffee to enhance its efficacy and benefits.
It’s apparent why brands are hopping on board the health train: The global wellness industry grew from $4.6 trillion in 2020 to $6.3 trillion in 2023, and according to a 2025 report by McKinsey, 84% of US consumers consider wellness to be a “top” or “important” priority. Growth in the industry, McKinsey found, is being driven primarily by Gen Z and millennial consumers.
The media has helped to grow understanding of coffee’s health benefits, consistently amplifying positive research findings. For example, a recent study linking coffee consumption to healthier aging in women was covered by major outlets worldwide, including CNN, Sky News, Euronews, and The Times of India.
Survey data reflects this growth in consumer understanding of coffee and its health benefits, even if it remains a slim majority: In 2025, a NCA coffee trends report found that 51% of respondents believe coffee is good for their health. In 2017, the same survey found that just 16% of Americans were even aware of coffee’s health benefits.
According to café and bakery consultant Erica Escalante, growth in coffee wellness trends is dependent on geographical area and demographics. “In my work with cafés across the US, the major cities, of course, are very on top of this trend and very much into health and wellness,” she says. At the same time, she notes, “I definitely work with some café businesses where their demographic has no inkling of or desire for any type of wellness associated with their coffee.”
Despite the increase in coverage, Escalante doesn’t see many people discussing the health benefits of coffee itself. “It’s more about using it as a vessel to deliver beneficial ingredients,” she says. “Consumers know they’re going to spend money on a daily drinking habit, and some of them are trying to squeeze as much benefit out of it as possible.”
The Future of Healthy Coffee
The wellness industry is enormous and continues to grow every year. It makes sense, then, that coffee companies would want to get involved. Big brands like Starbucks embracing the trend is another indicator that the wellness coffee movement is here to stay. After all, the global market for “functional coffee” (that is, coffees with added ingredients like protein or CBD) is growing by more than 11% every year.
Along with the growing body of scientific evidence that coffee has health benefits, the FDA’s ruling that coffee itself can now be labeled as healthy offers another incentive for companies to frame their products in a positive light. “FDA’s determination provides further clarity for how coffee companies can describe coffee and how easy it can be for consumers to understand,” Murray says. “Using the claim ‘healthy’ is voluntary, but it can provide an important option for communicating information that consumers are interested in.”
Escalante envisages the coffee wellness trend continuing for the foreseeable future, albeit taking on different forms. “I think some elements will always be around, but they are ever-changing,” she says. “People will always be searching for ways to better themselves and their habits.”