Coffee is a pharmacologically active, widely consumed beverage. Scientific interest in relation to coffee consumption has been revisited the last decade in the light of new, mainly epidemiological, evidence indicating its potential health benefits. In specific, both cross-sectional and prospective studies indicate that coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk for type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, an inverse association has been found between coffee consumption and markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in healthy and/or diabetic participants, although the opposite effect has also been reported, mainly in relation to inflammation markers. In relation to body weight, epidemiological data suggest that increment in caffeine consumption is associated with lower mean weight gain and energy intake during a 12-y period.