Coffee consumers love their beverage with milk, particularly those who favor creamy cappuccinos or latte macchiato. According to a 2022 National Coffee Data Trends report, 91% of coffee-based drinks served in restaurants and cafes contain milk as one ingredient.

But is drinking milk with coffee healthy? The answer depends on the level of caffeine present in your beverage; adding milk can reduce how much caffeine is ingested while helping prevent heartburn, acid reflux and other digestive symptoms.

Milk provides essential nutrition, such as casein and whey proteins, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin B12 and (if fortified) vitamin D. Whole milk is often the choice of baristas when crafting intricate foams or creating specialty lattes at coffee shops.

One key benefit of coffee and milk pairing is their ability to provide energy-boosting effects. Furthermore, according to research out of Denmark, combining coffee polyphenols with milk proteins may offer unique anti-inflammatory benefits: when cells were exposed simultaneously to both components they proved two times as effective at fighting inflammation than simply one alone.

As for the rest of your caloric intake, milk-based coffee tends to be lower in caloric intake compared to black or iced coffee with added sugar. A short (8-oz.) cup from Starbucks made with whole milk and no additional sweetener contains 70 calories compared with 190 for an RTD Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino made with added sweetener; that is an increase of 150 extra calories that could potentially cause health complications – this underscores why it’s crucial that we are mindful about how much added sugar there is in our coffee consumption compared to what other drinks we are drinking.