A refreshing cup of coffee is something everyone loves. While its charm comes mainly from its smell and taste, coffee also comes with various health benefits. Coffee with milk has an anti-inflammatory effect in humans, according to a new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 


How is coffee with milk beneficial for health?


This is because coffee and milk form a good combination of proteins and antioxidants which double the anti-inflammatory properties in immune cells. Researchers from University of Copenhagen, investigated how polyphenols behave when combined with amino acids. 


What is inflammation?


The immune system protects the host organism by deploying white blood cells and chemical substances when bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens and foreign substances enter the body. This reaction of the immune system is known as inflammation. It also occurs when humans overload tendons and muscles and is characteristic of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder which affects the lining of joints, causing a painful swelling that can result in bone erosion and joint deformity. 


What are polyphenols?


Polyphenols are a type of antioxidants found in humans, plants, fruits and vegetables, and are used by the food industry to slow the oxidation and deterioration of food quality, and thereby avoid off flavours and rancidity. Polyphenols reduce oxidative stress in the body that gives rise to inflammation. 


What happens when polyphenols and proteins react?


However, few studies have focused on how polyphenols react with other components such as proteins, and what happens as a result. 


In a statement released by the University of Copenhagen, Professor Marianne Nissen Lund from the Department of Food Science, who headed the study, said the researchers have shown that as a polyphenol acts with an amino acid, its inhibitory effect on inflammation in immune cells is enhanced. She also said that it is clearly imaginable that this cocktail could have a beneficial effect on inflammation in humans. 


Nissen further said that the researchers will investigate further, initially in animals, and hope to receive research funding which allows them to study the effect in humans. 


Here are some other health benefits of coffee:


Coffee and longevity


Drinking one cup of coffee per day, whether caffeinated or decaffeinated, is associated with a three per cent reduced risk of death, according to a review of 21 studies totalling more than 10 million participants. The review, published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, also stated that drinking three cups of coffee per day is associated with a 13 per cent reduced risk of death. 


Drinking coffee, caffeinated or decaffeinated, is associated with reduced risk for death from various causes, according to a study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It was a multi-national cohort study conducted in 10 European countries, and analysed more than 500,000 people. The study was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine in 2017. 


A study conducted on over 400,000 people found that coffee consumption is associated with lower likelihood of death from disease. The study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2012. 


Coffee and Cancer


Drinking both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee is associated with reduced risk of liver cancer, according to a meta analysis of human prospective studies. Coffee was found to be associated with reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, including in those with pre-existing liver disease. The findings were published in the British Medical Journal. 


Consumption of four cups of coffee per day is associated with a 10 per cent reduced risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to a study published in the journal Nutrients in 2018.


Coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of colon cancer in women. According to a study published in the International Journal of Cancer in 2018, there is a 20 per cent reduced risk of colon cancer in women who drink more than three cups of coffee per day, compared to those who drink less than one or less.


Coffee and Diabetes


People who drink four or more cups of coffee per day have a 50 per cent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2011. 


Cafestol, a compound found in coffee, has been found to increase insulin secretion, reduce fasting glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity in mice. Thus, cafestol could help stave off type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the Journal of Natural Products in 2017.


Coffee and Stroke


Coffee consumption can modestly reduce the risk of stroke among women, according to a survey conducted on more than 83,000 women over many years. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in 2009.


Coffee is associated with reduced risk for death from various causes, including stroke, according to a study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The study analysed more than 500,000 people, and was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2017.


Tea and coffee consumption are inversely associated with risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke in the general population, according to a large-scale study in Japan, published in the journal Stroke in 2013. 


Coffee and Kidney Health


Coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a study published in the Journal of Renal Nutrition in 2020.


Coffee and Mental Health


Coffee consumption is linked with a reduced risk of depression, according to an independent meta-analysis conducted by Dr Alan Leviton, Harvard Medical School.


Coffee has antioxidant effects. Since coffee has anti-oxidative properties, it helps reduce the blood levels of oxidative-stress indicators in people who have a major depressive disorder 


Coffee also helps reduce the levels of inflammation-related proteins in depressed people. 


Coffee also provides the gut microbiome with nutrients to metabolise coffee constituents into beneficial substances, and promotes a healthy microbiome.