7 Health Conditions Coffee Can Help Prevent

Coffee is a major part of everyday life in the United States. For many, a day doesn't officially start before that first cup of joe. A typical first date involves chatting over coffee at a place like Starbucks. But coffee as we think of it today didn't happen overnight.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service,companies in the early to mid-1900s sought to increase their coffee's popularity and profitability in the U.S. in two ways: through technology and through marketing. For example, companies began using methods like vacuum packaging for coffee. American soldiers in World War II drank instant coffee. Even Maxwell House Coffee's iconic slogan "Good to the Last Drop" was coined during this time period's coffee marketing campaigns. However, the increased availability of soft drinks affected coffee's popularity, and coffeehouses impacted supermarket coffee sales.

Still, whether you enjoy brewing your own coffee at home or prefer buying your favorite coffee from a local barista, research suggests that coffee consumption may help prevent certain illnesses. Keep in mind, though, that just because some research supports coffee as a possible preventative measure, doesn't automatically mean you should start drinking it or adding more of it to your diet. After all, there's always new research being done, which can sometimes correct or contradict previous findings. With that said, here are some of the health conditions that drinking coffee may help prevent.

Heart failure is one of those medical terms that can be easily misunderstood. As the American Heart Association explains, heart failure doesn't mean the heart has stopped. But although it's still beating, it's unable to circulate the right amount of blood and oxygen throughout the body. And while there is some evidence that drinking coffee might help prevent this health condition, there are a few things that one should keep in mind.

A study published in Circulation: Heart Failure found that drinking coffee might reduce the chances of heart failure. This study involved analyzing data from three different studies whose combined participants totaled more than 21,000 coffee-drinking adults. The three studies found adults who drank caffeinated coffee were less likely to have heart failure. However, there are some gaps in the studies' information. For example, all three studies concluded that the potential heart failure-preventing ingredient in coffee is caffeine, but none of them explored if other sources of caffeine (like tea) might also help prevent heart failure. Also, the studies didn't specify details like the coffee's strength or preparation method.

Although the data may sound promising, remember that drinking coffee beverages that have large amounts of sugar, fat, and calories isn't heart-healthy (or healthy in general), per the American Heart Association. Plus, the site cautions that "caffeine can be dangerous when consumed in large amounts."

According to the Mayo Clinic, Alzheimer's is a type of brain disorder where the brain shrinks; over time, its cells die. Alzheimer's can lead to dementia, which can negatively affect one's thinking and memory, as well as one's behavior and social skills.

The idea of Alzheimer's and dementia can be frightening, but researchers from Edith Cowan University concluded that drinking coffee might reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's (via Science Daily). The research involved more than 200 Australians and spanned more than a decade, during which the researchers tracked cognitive functions like planning and self-control. Lead investigator Dr. Samantha Gardener said, "We found participants with no memory impairments and with higher coffee consumption at the start of the study had lower risk of transitioning to mild cognitive impairment — which often precedes Alzheimer's disease — or developing Alzheimer's disease over the course of the study."

Although the study's findings were promising, Harvard Health Publishing notes that drinking large amounts of coffee could be damaging to one's brain. Research regarding roughly 400,000 coffee drinkers concluded that those who drank more than six cups of either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee on a daily basis were more likely "to have smaller amounts of total brain volume" and greater odds of having dementia than those who only drank one to two cups a day.

If you were to ask a group of gout patients to describe their condition, chances are most of them would say "painful." As the Mayo Clinic explains, gout occurs because of a chain reaction involving purine, a chemical found in our bodies and in some foods. When our bodies break down this chemical, it produces uric acid. However, large amounts of uric acid can lead to gout, where crystals form around and inside joints, causing pain and even damage.

If you're concerned about developing gout, there is research suggesting that consuming coffee might lower the chances of having this form of arthritis. Dr. Hyon Choi of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues at Harvard Medical School in Boston conducted data analysis that supports the notion of coffee potentially reducing the odds of developing gout (via Reuters). Their work focused on a United States survey that spanned six years and involved roughly 50,000 men. "We found that when they are drinking four to five cups of coffee, there was a 40-percent reduction. Drinking six or more cups resulted in a 50- to 60-percent reduction (in the risk for gout)," Dr. Choi told Reuters.

The data analysis found that drinking coffee might lower uric acid levels. MedicineNet also noted that someone with gout might also benefit from drinking coffee. However, it's still not advisable to drink excessive amounts of coffee, and of course, add-ins like sugar make it less healthy.