ABSTRACT
Coffee is one of the popular beverages consumed worldwide. Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora are the two most widely cultivated species. Coffee is considered as a functional food, primarily because of its chemical and bioactive properties. Coffee is often linked to its bioactive constituents such as caffeine, chlorogenic acids (CGAs), trigonelline, diterpenes (especially cafestol and kahweol), and coffee melanoidins. These compounds have demonstrated many health benefits which include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, cardiovascular protective, gastrointestinal protective, hepatoprotective, glucose, and lipid metabolism regulatory and anticarcinogenic effects. The adverse effects of coffee and its constituents are mainly associated with its overconsumption. In this chapter, we attempt to summarize the major bioactive compounds in coffee and their beneficial and adverse health effects.
