7 Proven Ways Matcha Tea Improves Your Health

Studies of matcha and its components have unearthed a variety of benefits, showing that it can help protect the liver, promote heart health and even aid in weight loss.

Written by Rachael Link, MS, RD on October 10, 2017

Matcha has skyrocketed in popularity lately, with matcha shots, lattes, teas and even desserts appearing everywhere from health stores to coffee shops.

Like green tea, matcha comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. However, it is grown differently and has a unique nutrient profile.

Farmers grow matcha by covering their tea plants 20–30 days before harvest to avoid direct sunlight. This increases chlorophyll production, boosts the amino acid content and gives the plant a darker green hue.

Once the tea leaves are harvested, the stems and veins are removed and the leaves are ground up into a fine powder known as matcha.

Matcha contains the nutrients from the entire tea leaf, which results in a greater amount of caffeine and antioxidants than are typically found in green tea.

Studies of matcha and its components have unearthed a variety of benefits, showing that it can help protect the liver, promote heart health and even aid in weight loss.

Here are 7 health benefits of matcha tea, all based on science.

1. High In Antioxidants

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Matcha is rich in catechins, a class of plant compounds in tea that act as natural antioxidants.

Antioxidants help stabilize harmful free radicals, which are compounds that can damage cells and cause chronic disease.

When you add matcha powder to hot water to make tea, the tea contains all the nutrients from the entire leaf. It will tend to have more catechins and antioxidants than simply steeping green tea leaves in water.

In fact, by one estimate, the number of certain catechins in matcha is up to 137 times greater than in other types of green tea (1Trusted Source).

One study showed that giving mice matcha supplements reduced damage caused by free radicals and enhanced antioxidant activity (2Trusted Source).

Including matcha in your diet could increase your antioxidant intake, which may help prevent cell damage and even lower your risk of several chronic diseases (3Trusted Source).

SUMMARYMatcha contains a concentrated amount of antioxidants, which may reduce cell damage and prevent chronic disease.

2. Protects the Liver

The liver is vital to health and plays a central role in flushing out toxins, metabolizing drugs and processing nutrients.

Some studies have found that matcha may help protect the health of your liver.

One study gave diabetic rats matcha for 16 weeks and found that it helped prevent damage to both the kidneys and liver (4Trusted Source).

Another study gave 80 people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease either a placebo or 500 mg of green tea extract daily for 90 days.

After 12 weeks, green tea extract significantly reduced liver enzyme levels. Elevated levels of these enzymes are a marker of liver damage (5Trusted Source).

Furthermore, an analysis of 15 studies found that drinking green tea was associated with a decreased risk of liver disease (6Trusted Source).

However, it's important to remember that there may be other factors involved in this association.

More research is needed to look at the effects of matcha on the general population, since most research is limited to studies examining the effects of green tea extract in animals.

SUMMARYSome studies have shown that matcha could prevent liver damage and decrease the risk of liver disease. However, additional studies are needed to look at the effects on humans in the general population.

3. Boosts Brain Function

Some research shows that several of the components in matcha could help enhance brain function.

One study in 23 people looked at how people performed on a series of tasks designed to measure brain performance. Some participants consumed either matcha tea or a bar containing 4 grams of matcha, while the control group consumed a placebo tea or bar.

The researchers found that matcha caused improvements in attention, reaction time and memory, compared to the placebo (7Trusted Source).

Another small study showed that consuming 2 grams of green tea powder daily for two months helped improve brain function in elderly people (8Trusted Source).

Additionally, matcha contains a more concentrated amount of caffeine than green tea, packing in 35 mg of caffeine per half teaspoon (about 1 gram) of matcha powder.

Multiple studies have linked caffeine consumption to improvements in brain function, citing faster reaction times, increased attention and enhanced memory (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

Matcha also contains a compound called L-theanine, which alters the effects of caffeine, promoting alertness and helping avoid the crash in energy levels that can follow caffeine consumption (12Trusted Source).

L-theanine has also been shown to increase alpha wave activity in the brain, which may help induce relaxation and decrease stress levels (13Trusted Source).

SUMMARYMatcha has been shown to improve attention, memory and reaction time. It also contains caffeine and L-theanine, which can improve several aspects of brain function.

4. Helps Prevent Cancer

Matcha is jam-packed with health-promoting compounds, including some that have been linked to cancer prevention in test-tube and animal studies.

In one study, green tea extract decreased tumor size and slowed the growth of breast cancer cells in rats (14Trusted Source).

Matcha is especially high in epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a type of catechin that has been shown to have powerful anti-cancer properties.

One test-tube study found that the EGCG in matcha helped kill off prostate cancer cells (15Trusted Source).

Other test-tube studies have shown that EGCG is effective against skin, lung and liver cancer (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source).

Keep in mind that these were test-tube and animal studies looking at specific compounds found in matcha. Further research is needed to determine how these results may translate to humans.

SUMMARY:Test-tube and animal studies have found that the compounds in matcha may inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

5. Protects Your Heart

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for an estimated one-third of all deaths in people over the age of 35 (19Trusted Source).

Some studies have shown that drinking green tea, which has a similar nutrient profile to matcha, may help protect against heart disease.

Green tea has been shown to reduce levels of total and “bad” LDL cholesterol, as well as triglycerides (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).

It may also help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, another factor that may protect against heart disease (22Trusted Source).

Observational studies have also shown that drinking green tea is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source).

When combined with a well-rounded diet and healthy lifestyle, drinking matcha may help keep your heart healthy and protect against disease.

SUMMARYStudies show that green tea and matcha can decrease several heart disease risk factors.

6. Helps You Lose Weight

Take a look at any weight loss supplement, and there's a good chance you'll see "green tea extract" listed in the ingredients.

Green tea is well known for its ability to enhance weight loss. In fact, studies show that it may help speed up metabolism to increase energy expenditure and boost fat burning.

One small study showed that taking green tea extract during moderate exercise increased fat burning by 17% (25Trusted Source).

Another study in 14 people found that taking a supplement containing green tea extract significantly boosted 24-hour energy expenditure, compared to a placebo (26Trusted Source).

A review of 11 studies also showed that green tea reduced body weight and helped maintain weight loss (27Trusted Source).

Although most of these studies focused on green tea extract, matcha comes from the same plant and should have the same effect.

SUMMARYSome studies show that green tea extract helps increase metabolism and fat burning, both of which may aid weight loss.

7. Matcha Tea Is Very Easy to Prepare

Taking advantage of the many health benefits of matcha is simple — and the tea tastes delicious.

You can make traditional matcha tea by sifting 1–2 teaspoons (2–4 grams) of matcha powder into your cup, adding 2 ounces (59 ml) of hot water and mixing it together with a bamboo whisk. You can find a bamboo whisk at a specialty tea or Japanese store.

You can also adjust the ratio of matcha powder to water based on your preferred consistency.

For a thinner tea, reduce the powder to a half teaspoon (1 gram) and mix with 3–4 ounces (89–118 ml) of hot water.

If you prefer a more concentrated version, combine 2 teaspoons (4 grams) of powder with just 1 ounce (30 ml) of water.

If you're feeling creative, you can even try whipping up matcha lattes, puddings or protein smoothies to boost the nutrient content of your favorite recipes.

As always, moderation is key. Although matcha is brimming with health benefits, more is not necessarily better.

In fact, liver problems have been reported in some people who drank six cups of green tea daily. This translates to about two cups of matcha tea, since it’s more concentrated than green tea (28Trusted Source).

Drinking matcha may also increase your exposure to contaminants like pesticides, chemicals and even arsenic found in the soil where the tea plants are grown (29Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source).

It's best to stick to one or two cups per day and look for certified organic varieties to take advantage of matcha's many health benefits without risking any side effects.

SUMMARYThere are many ways to prepare matcha, so you can choose the one you like best. It can also be incorporated into a range of different recipes.

The Bottom Line

Matcha comes from the same plant as green tea, but since it is made from the entire leaf, it packs in a more concentrated amount of antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds.

Studies have revealed a variety of health benefits associated with matcha and its components, ranging from enhancing weight loss to decreasing the risk of heart disease.

Best of all, the tea is simple to prepare, so you can incorporate it effortlessly into your diet and give your day a burst of extra flavor.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-benefits-of-matcha-tea#section8

Green Tea - The “Hulk” of Anticancer Beverages

Though it’s long been a staple in other countries, Americans rarely drank green tea until about 20 years ago. Most Americans had never even tasted it.

By Lee Euler / September 18, 2019

We’re in the minority on this one, because outside of water, green tea is the most popular beverage worldwide — mostly owing to its huge popularity in Asia.

Now, thanks to the growing power of alternative medicine, blended and flavored green tea products (that Americans tend to like) have appeared on the market in mass quantities.

Green tea has received a big push from natural health advocates because it’s effective against multiple cancers, including esophagus, stomach, colon, bladder, prostate, ovaries, uterus, and breast.

In fact, tea drinkers have up to a 68% lower risk of cancer in and around the digestive tract.

Green tea has been shown to lower lung cancer risk (even for smokers!). In addition, it lowers the risk of leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

In fact, green tea might be my choice for the #1 beverage you should drink to fight cancer. And if you want to get the most bang for your buck, there’s a particular type of green tea you need to know about. . .

Matcha is a special form of green tea that consists of finely ground powder you dissolve in water.

It’s being hailed as the “super tea,” more powerful and with greater health benefits than its simple green tea relative. But have no fear, whether you drink matcha or stick to regular green tea, new research pouring out of labs keeps adding to the pile of proof that you’ll reap amazing results.

Part of the power of green tea lies in its potent antioxidant and polyphenol levels. And that’s where matcha tea enters the picture and earns even more accolades – because it has even higher levels of antioxidants and other health properties.

Matcha originates from Japan, where it’s best known for being used in tea ceremonies. Using the fresh leaf tips of the Camellia plant, the leaves are steamed, air dried, and then ground into a fine powder.

Matcha is completely different from the kind of tea you’re probably familiar with. It’s not brewed from tea leaves or tea bags. Instead, the stems and veins are removed from the tea leaves, which are then ground down into a fine powder. This is mixed in a liquid, most often water or milk, to form what they call a “suspension” in chemistry.

Which means you’re drinking the whole tea leaf. With regular tea you’re just drinking whatever compounds the leaves release in hot water.

But long before all of that happens, the tea plants for matcha are protected by shade for at least three weeks prior to harvest. The shade is said to increase the content of chlorophyll and other nutrients, including the amino acid L-theanine, which provides a unique brothy flavor to green tea infusions.

How matcha kills cancer cells

Matcha has earned such a strong reputation in the health world that some call it a “miracle food.” Given all the ways it can treat or prevent disease, that’s hardly an overstatement.

Take a look at some research out of the University of Salford in Manchester, England. Using metabolic phenotyping, a scientific process that examines how compounds directly impact cells, the researchers tested matcha green tea powder on breast cancer cell lines.

They discovered that matcha moved the cancer cells “towards a quiescent metabolic state,” which effectively stopped their proliferation. The researchers also found the cancer stem cell signaling pathways that normally promote growth were affected, appearing weaker overall.

The matcha tea extract suppresses the metabolism of cancer cells’ mitochondria, the “batteries” that power the cells.

Thanks to matcha’s metabolic phenotyping, scientists now understand how matcha can suppress oxidative mitochondrial metabolism, a fancy way of saying that it keeps cells from “re-fueling” (meaning they become inactive and die).

One of the study authors, Dr. Michael Lisanti, even said, “The effects on human breast cancer cells were very striking; the active ingredients in matcha have a surgical effect in knocking out certain signaling pathways.”

Keep in mind this is early-stage research. The experiments were conducted on breast cancer cells grown in lab cultures. We need human studies to prove the effect in live humans.

But we already have plenty of other evidence for the impact of green tea on cancer rates.

Don’t get sidetracked by green fads 

If you decide to add matcha to your diet, make sure you get the real thing – that is, the tea powder. Thanks to the consumer craze that has followed this potent green substance, you can now get matcha-dyed soba noodles, matcha mochi, matcha lattes, and even matcha green tea ice cream.

These faddish foods might be better than nothing, but none of them will ever give you as many nutrients as a solid cup of matcha tea.

By the way, I’m a strong supporter of the beverage – and not green tea supplements. There are some questions about the safety of the supplements. The evidence is inconclusive, but large, concentrated amounts don’t seem to be a good idea. Even when a nutrient is beneficial, sometimes too much of it can be toxic.

So drink the tea, preferably in the matcha version.

References:

1. Could matcha green tea be used to treat cancer? ‘Striking’ results show it kills cancer cells by s “Follow the Leaders: Tea Trends in 2019.” By Dan Bolton for World Tea News, 2 January 2019. https://worldteanews.com/market-trends-data-and-insights/follow-the-leaders-tea-trends-in-2019
2. “Matcha green tea (MGT) inhibits the propagation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), by targeting mitochondrial metabolism, glycolysis and multiple cell signalling pathways.” By Gloria Bonuccelli, et al. Aging (Albany NY). 2018 Aug; 10(8): 1867–1883. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6128439/
3. “Matcha green tea kills cancer stem cells.” By Iqra Farooq for Drug Target Review, 31 August 2018. https://www.drugtargetreview.com/news/34751/matcha-green-tea-cancer/
4. “Waking the Warrior Goddess,” Horner, Christine, M.D., Basic Health Publications, Inc. Laguna Beach, CA, 2005.

Black Coffee in the Morning and Green Tea in the Afternoon May Provide Valuable Health Benefits

Its pros and cons have been debated for decades. Now a new consensus may be forming about its protection against cancer, Parkinson's, heart disease, and diabetes. But don't make these 4 mistakes... or all bets are off. And avoid it completely if THIS is true for you.



January 18, 2016

Story at-a-glance

• Mounting research suggests coffee may offer protection against a number of health concerns, including cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson’s. It also has athletic performance-enhancing benefits
• Green tea has also been shown to improve heart, bone and vision health, and may protect against type 2 diabetes and cancer. Long-term consumption may also promote weight loss
• Quality is paramount for both coffee and tea. The healthiest coffee is organic dark roast, ground from fresh whole coffee beans, consumed “black.” Also look for organic tea grown in a pristine environment

By Dr. Mercola

Tea and coffee are among the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Tea is the most consumed beverage next to water, with 2 billion people drinking it every morning. Eighty-seven percent of millennials also report drinking it regularly.1

In the U.S. nearly 60 percent of adults drink coffee each morning, and 78 percent drink it at least occasionally.2 On the average, coffee drinkers consume about two cups a day.

Both coffee and tea contain caffeine (although there are also decaffeinated varieties), which has been linked to adverse health effects such as elevated blood pressure, gastric upset, and anxiety.

However, both coffee and tea contain other health-promoting ingredients that may outweigh the drawbacks of caffeine.

Among them are beneficial antioxidants and, according to researchers, coffee, because of the volume consumed, not because of its high amount, is the primary source of antioxidants in the American diet.3 The antioxidants may even help neutralize the harsher effects of the caffeine that coffee naturally contains.

Coffee Caveats

Be careful, though, as most all coffee produced is heavily contaminated with pesticides. It's actually one of the most heavily sprayed crops. So, when we speak about the benefits of coffee, let it be understood that we're talking about organic (ideally fair trade), pesticide-free coffee.

Another "con" is that most coffee available today is rancid, packed from ground beans that cannot survive even a week before getting stale. This is because the rate of rancidity increases dramatically once you grind the beans. Hence, much of the bagged coffee you find in your grocery store are already degraded.

All that will give you is the caffeine. It won't provide you with healthy nutritional co-factors. So another basic principle in using coffee for its health benefits is to grind your own coffee beans.

Thirdly, you'll want to make sure it's roasted correctly. It's often the case that foods with the darkest pigments offer the most robust benefits to health, and dark roast coffee, such as French Roast, espresso or Turkish coffee, may be no exception.

One 2011 study4 found that dark roast coffee led to a significant body weight reduction in pre-obese volunteers, whereas light roast did not. Dark roast coffee also produces more of a chemical that helps prevent the production of excess stomach acid, so it may be easier on your stomach.5

Overall, the healthiest form of coffee is organic, freshly ground, and served black, meaning without milk or sugar. Adding dairy may interfere with your body's absorption of beneficial chlorogenic acids, while the added sugar will contribute to insulin resistance, which is at the heart of most chronic disease.

Lastly, if you use a "drip" coffee maker, be sure to use non-bleached filters. The bright white ones are chlorine-bleached, and some of this chlorine will leach from the filter during the brewing process. Bleached filters may also contain dangerous disinfection byproducts, such as dioxin.

Quality Is Key for Tea as Well

Tea also has its issues. Green tea plants are known to be especially effective at absorbing lead from the soil, which is then taken up into the plants' leaves.

Areas with excessive industrial pollution, such as China (where nearly 90 percent of the world's green tea is produced), may contain substantial amounts of lead.

While the lead in the tea leaves is not thought to leach very effectively into the tea, if you're consuming Matcha green tea (which contains the entire ground tea leaf), it's especially important that it comes from Japan instead of China.

Both black and green teas are also naturally high in fluoride, even if organically grown without pesticides. This is because the plant readily absorbs fluoride thorough its root system, including naturally occurring fluoride in the soil.

So, as with coffee, when selecting tea, opt for organic (to avoid pesticides), grown in a pristine environment (to avoid fluoride, heavy metals, and other toxins from contaminated soil and water). A clean growing environment is essential to producing a pure, high-quality tea.

Heart Healthy Benefits of Coffee

Personally, I don't drink coffee, and can count the number of cups I've had in my lifetime on one hand. I get most of my polyphenols from 3 tablespoons of freshly ground raw cacao nibs a day, which has far more benefits than those detailed here about coffee, due to its superior polyphenol concentration.

But if you do enjoy coffee, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that properly grown, harvested and roasted coffee can actually be very healthy. According to the 2015 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you can safely consume up to five cups of coffee a day without detrimental effects.6

The recommendation is based on research evaluating the link between coffee and chronic diseases, including cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's.

It used to be said that coffee could increase your blood pressure, at least temporarily. But longer-term studies haven't found a connection, and it's now thought people may develop a tolerance to coffee's hypertensive effects.7

More recent research suggests coffee may actually be quite good for your heart health:

•One meta-analysis8 that included data from 11 studies and nearly 480,000 people found drinking 2 to 6 cups of coffee a day was associated with reduced stroke risk.

The analysis also noted that drinking 1 to 4 cups of coffee a day was associated with a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease in women, and that coffee consumption is inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes9

•Another study10 showed moderate coffee drinking reduces your chances of being hospitalized for heart rhythm problems

•Japanese researchers found drinking a cup of coffee may trigger a 30 percent increase in blood flow in your small blood vessels, which might take some strain off your heart. The effect lasts for about 75 minutes

•Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard School of Public Health also found that moderate coffee consumption, defined as two 8-ounce servings a day, may protect against heart failure11

•Research12 has even shown that coffee consumption is inversely associated with premature death. The more coffee drank, the lower the risk of death became, including deaths from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, and infections

Other Health Benefits of Coffee

Higher coffee consumption is also associated with a significantly lower incidence of Parkinson's disease,13 and caffeine may help control movement in those with Parkinson's disease, according to more recent research.14 Liver cancer and liver disease are also inversely associated with coffee consumption. Interestingly, coffee appears to contain an ingredient that protects against alcoholic cirrhosis.15

According to one study,16 drinking two or more cups of coffee daily may reduce your risk of dying from liver cirrhosis by as much as 66 percent. Italian research17 also found that coffee consumption may reduce your risk of liver cancer by about 40 percent, and if you drink three cups a day, the risk may be reduced by more than half.

Coffee May Boost Athletic Performance

Coffee may also provide specific benefits for athletes. In one recent meta-analysis, 5 of 9 randomized control trials included confirmed the performance-enhancing benefits of coffee. As noted in Medical News Today:18

"Athletes consuming 3 to 7 mg of caffeine through coffee saw an average improvement in endurance performance of 24 percent ... [Lead author Simon Higgins] says: 'This is helpful for athletes because coffee is a naturally occurring compound. There's the potential that getting your caffeine by drinking coffee has similar endurance benefits as taking caffeine pills.'"

In 2011, I interviewed fitness expert Ori Hofmekler about the use of coffee to enhance sports performance, and how caffeine helps you maintain youthful muscle tissue. According to Ori, consumed right before exercise, it can provide a beneficial fitness boost.

Drinking two cups of coffee an hour before training may also reduce post-workout muscle soreness by as much as 48 percent.19 To put this into perspective, studies using naproxen (Aleve) achieved only a 30 percent decrease in post-workout muscle soreness, and aspirin produced a 25 percent decrease.

As for Hofmekler, he recommends having just one cup of coffee or one shot of espresso in the morning, before your workout, and no more thereafter. Because for all its benefits, it can also affect your adrenal glands and increases the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, so moderation is still advisable.

One way to moderate your coffee consumption while still reaping the benefits both coffee and tea have to offer is to drink coffee only in the morning, and drinking tea when you want a beverage besides pure water in the afternoon.

The Health Benefits of Tea

While the majority of tea consumed is black tea,20 to maximize the health benefits of your tea drinking habit you may want to consider adding or switching to green tea instead. Green tea is recognized as an abundant source of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a catechin polyphenol, and other antioxidants. One of your healthiest options, and my own personal favorites, is Matcha green tea.

Since it contains the entire ground tea leaf, it can contain over 100 times the EGCG provided from regular brewed green tea. Again, to avoid lead contamination, opt for Japanese-grown Matcha tea rather than those from China. Steamed is also better than roasted or pan-fried varieties.

Drinking green tea is associated with reduced mortality due to all causes, including heart disease. The holistic benefits to green tea consumption also include the following:21

Heart Health	Green tea improves both blood flow and the ability of your arteries to relax, with research22,23 suggesting a few cups of green tea each day may be helpful for the prevention of arterio­sclerosis, cerebral thrombus, heart attack, and stroke.
Type 2 Diabetes	One study24 found people who consume 6 or more cups of green tea daily had a 33 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consumed less than 1 cup per week.
Weight Loss	There is some evidence that long-term consumption of green tea catechins is beneficial for burning fat and may work with other chemicals to increase levels of fat oxidation and thermogenesis.
Bone Health	Green tea polyphenols combined with a form of vitamin D called alfacalcidol could boost bone structure and strength, according to animal research.25
Vision Health	Catechins in green tea may offer protection against glaucoma and other eye diseases, as research found the compounds travel from your digestive system into the tissues of your eyes. During the study,26 the catechins found in green tea were absorbed into various parts of the eyes anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours after rats were given tea.
Cancer	Green tea components have been shown to downregulate the expression of proteins involved in inflammation, cell signalization, cell motility and angiogenesis, while an association between green tea intake and decreased risk of cancers (including ovarian27and breast28) have been reported. Previous research29 has shown that green tea polyphenols act on molecular pathways to shut down the production and spread of tumor cells. They also discourage the growth of the blood vessels that feed the tumors. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) found in green tea even acts as an antiangiogenic and antitumor agent, and helps modulate tumor cell response to chemotherapy.30

Black Coffee in the Morning, and Green Tea in the Afternoon

While the research suggests you can have upwards of five cups of coffee per day without adverse effects, I believe this may be too much for many, especially with adrenal fatigue being so common. One way to balance the risks and benefits would be to limit your coffee consumption to one or two cups in the morning, and drinking green tea in the afternoon. Also remember that to achieve therapeutic benefits from coffee, it needs to be:

• Organic: Most coffee produced today is heavily contaminated with pesticides. It's actually one of the most heavily sprayed crops grown. So, any coffee you consume should be organic, pesticide-free coffee.
• Fresh whole bean: You'll want to purchase coffee in whole bean form and then grind it yourself to prevent rancidity. Pre-ground coffee may be rancid by the time you drink it.
• Properly dried and roasted: The coffee should smell and taste fresh, not stale. If your coffee does not have a pleasant aroma, it is likely rancid and poor quality. Darker roasts may provide greater health benefits and be easier on your stomach than light roasts.
• Black: Drink your coffee black, without sugar or cream. Add sugar and you'll certainly ruin any of the benefits discussed above by spiking your insulin levels and causing insulin resistance.

One last caveat: Pregnant women are advised to avoid coffee altogether, as caffeine can significantly impact the growing fetus. It is able to freely pass through the placenta, and one 2008 study31 found that just two cups of coffee ingested during pregnancy may be enough to affect fetal heart development and reduce heart function over the entire lifespan of the child.

Since caffeine does not provide any benefits to your baby, only potential hazards, I strongly recommend pregnant women avoid ALL forms of caffeine, including coffee and caffeinated teas.

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/01/18/black-coffee-green-tea-health-benefits.aspx?