Coffee has long been linked to improved health benefits. A recent article in Preventive Cardiology suggests that drinking two to three cups daily — any kind, including decaf — could lower risk of heart disease and death when combined with diet and exercise, especially when combined with energy boosters like caffeine. Researchers believe it may be something inherently present within coffee beans that offer this heart-health advantage.

Like its caffeinated cousin, decaf coffee is prepared from ground, unroasted beans that have been decaffeinated using one of four FDA-compliant and safe processes. Green coffee beans are warmed and immersed in liquid that removes over 97% of natural caffeine present within them before being reused to soak new batches of unroasted beans, with this process repeated until no more caffeine remains in them.

Natural caffeine in coffee beans will still cause some of the same biological responses as caffeine found in regular coffee, such as increasing liver cell glucose release, raising blood pressure and heart rate and stimulating gastrin secretion. While these effects won’t cause jitters or anxiety symptoms in most cases, they may make some people nauseous or cause digestive upset for those with sensitive stomachs.

Regular and decaf coffee can both act as diuretics, prompting your kidneys to remove more fluid from your body through increased urine production. While this is beneficial as it prevents your body from holding onto too much water and treating swollen ankles and legs, if you want to minimize its diuretic effect it’s wise not to drink too many cups of decaf coffee in one sitting.

Decaf coffee may have a laxative effect in certain people, as its naturally-occurring compounds help promote stomach acids release and muscles relaxation in your colon. Unfortunately, decaf can reduce iron absorption so those suffering from anemia should refrain from drinking this beverage.

Decaffeinated coffee can be an ideal way for those needing to reduce caffeine intake due to medical conditions like high blood pressure or rheumatoid arthritis, to satisfy their daily caffeine requirements. But be wary of decaf made using chemicals such as methylene chloride that could irritate skin and lungs; for optimal results it should have been decaffeinated using water-based methods, like the Swiss Water Method.