Oxidative stress is implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases including ALS. Coffee (COF) consumption increases antioxidant status and reduces oxidative stress. To determine whether this effect is due to its single or combined constituents, we studied the effect of COF, caffeine (CAF) and chlorogenic acid (CHLA) on food intake (FI), body weight (BW), body condition (BC), motor performance (MP), ability to move (AM), clinical score (CS), and antioxidant enzyme protein content (MnSOD; CAT; GR) in the brain of 108‐d old male G93A mice. Starting at age 40‐d, 21 mice were randomly divided into control (CON, 6), COF (5), CAF (5) or CHLA (5). Compounds were added to the food, equivalent to amounts found in 5‐10 cups of coffee/day (mg/g BW). FI increased over time (P < 0.001); all groups consumed more than CON (COF, 21%, P = 0.014; CAF, 22%, P = 0.018; CHLA, 12%, P = 0.086). BW increased and BC decreased over time (P < 0.001) with no differences between groups. MP increased over time (P < 0.001) and was higher in COF vs. all groups (CON, 6%; CAF, 27%; CHLA, 40%; NS). CAT was higher in COF vs. all groups (CON, 61%, P = 0.002; CAF, 25%, P = 0.028; CHLA, 22%, P = 0.023). There were no significant differences in CS, AM, MnSOD and GR. We conclude that COF, independent of CAF or CHLA, is protective in male G93A mice by improving motor performance and increasing antioxidant enzyme capacity. Grant Funding Source HHSF, NSERC, York U‐Health