Instant Coffee - Health Effects

Health Effects

Instant coffee appears to be as efficient as regular drip brew coffee in decreasing the risk of diabetes type 2. On the other hand, it has been associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer in women when compared to regular coffee, whereas for men both instant and regular coffee has been associated with an increased bladder cancer risk. However, current review research suggests that there is no dose-response relationship between coffee drinking and bladder cancer, and that previous studies may have been confounded by unidentified risks of bladder cancer.

Instant coffee decreases intestinal iron absorption more than drip coffee. One study estimated that, when a cup of instant coffee was ingested with a meal composed of semipurified ingredients, intestinal absorption was reduced from 5.88% to 0.97%, compared to an absorption of 1.64% with drip coffee. It was also estimated that, when the strength of the instant coffee was doubled, intestinal iron absorption fell to 0.53%. Apparently, however, there is no decrease in iron absorption when instant coffee is consumed 1 hour before a meal, but the same degree of inhibition as with simultaneous ingestion occurs when instant coffee is taken 1 hour after a meal.

Animal experiments have indicated that instant coffee confers no risk related to reproduction, lactation, embryotoxicity or teratogenicity, but possibly a risk of a delay in bone calcification in high doses.