Even though we have a lot of different opinions, if we look at how coffee affects our health, we will see that it is good for us. Coffee drinking has been linked with a reduced risk of developing certain chronic diseases, including liver disease, type II diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
What is an antioxidant? Molecules that protect against cell damage and cell death are known as antioxidants. This is the simplest way I can explain it.
The process of oxidation in our body cells creates free radicals, which causes premature aging of cells and other cell damage over time. Antioxidants protect us from this cell damage.
Coffee has a lot of health benefits because it has a lot of antioxidants. This is significant because antioxidants are molecules that fight against other molecules called free radicals. Coffee has the highest antioxidant content in the human diet, which is significant because antioxidants help fight against free radicals.
In this article, I will explore the antioxidant content of coffee in depth.
The biggest dietary source of antioxidants
Many people consume approximately one to two grams of antioxidants from beverages such as tea and coffee each day. Beverages have larger antioxidant content than normal food.
About 79% of the antioxidants we get from our diet comes from beverages. The remaining 21% comes from the food we eat. People tend to drink more beverages with a high percentage of antioxidants than they eatfoods containing them.
Loaded with several powerful antioxidants
Research over the years has uncovered some of the secrets to the health benefits of coffee.
Drinkers of coffee have a lower chance of developing coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and fatty liver diseases.
Much research has been done to determine what gives coffee its health benefits. Tests and research have shown that the health benefits of these fruits are due to the antioxidants present in them.
Some of these antioxidants are CGAs and chlorogenic acid. There are many things that can cause stress to our bodies including the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.
This excess of some compounds and the release of free radicals causes problems in our body. There is no avoiding these substances because they are present everywhere.
When we have too many of these substances in our body, it can lead to some health problems. The substances mentioned build up at cell membranes and DNA. They produce toxic oxidative stress on cells, causing them to mutate.
Oxidation stress causes a change in the cellular structure that leads to some diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
The many factors that surround us, such as oxygen, nitrogen, pollution, UV light, eating low-quality food, and taking alcohol, all cause these harmful substances to build up in our body.
The free radicals present in the brain, skin, and other tissues can cause damage and lead to cognitive diseases and wrinkles. The accumulation of free radicals in the walls of blood vessels is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease.
Radicals that alter the cell reproduction process cause the growth of cancerous cells. Free radicals are harmful to the body, but antioxidants can protect the body from them.
In other words, coffee won’t help you live longer or protect you from disease just because it contains caffeine. Drinking a cup of coffee can help improve your health by restoring cells in your body.
Antioxidants fight inflammation
What do free radicals do in the human body? Oxidation stress caused by radicals in the body leads to inflammation.
Some diseases that affect the human body are caused by chronic inflammation. The diseases are caused by the inflammation being prolonged.
Inflammation is not harmful.
The inflammation helps our wounds to heal. When there is a cut in the body, there is an inflammation response due to an accumulation of cytokines in the wound.
The body’s reaction to injury or infection is often the result of cytokines that cause swelling and signal the rest of the body to take action. The area swells up, making it easier for substances to pass through the blood vessels.
The blood vessel provides a pathway for hormones and immune cells to reach and fight foreign invaders. If the wounded area swells and does not go down, it is not a healthy situation.
Chronic inflammation means that the cell walls are in a state of constant emergency. The difference between acute and chronic inflammation is that acute inflammation is visible on the surface of the body, while chronic inflammation occurs in the inner part of the body.
They are diseases that come with no warning and can cause a lot of damage before you even realize they are there. The body fights the effects of these radicals by having antioxidants present.
After extensive research, scientists have found that coffee’s high levels of antioxidants decrease the chances of developing these diseases. Many studies currently agree with this conclusion.
Linked to a reduced risk of many diseases
People who drink coffee have a lower risk of developing type II diabetes. The risk of what decreases 7 percent for every cup of coffee consumed per day?
Coffee also has benefits for the liver, reducing the risk of liver cirrhosis. Coffee can also help protect against stroke, heart disease, and colorectal cancer.
Drinking coffee has been linked with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Coffee has been reported to improve mental health. Women who drink alcohol often have a lower chance of suffering from depression and committing suicide.
Coffee has also been linked to a longer lifespan and lower risk of premature death. You should be aware that these studies are merely observational and there is no factual evidence to support these assertions.
Antioxidants in coffee
In 2005, a study found that coffee contains more antioxidant properties than previously thought. The study was backed financially by the American Cocoa Association, and Joe Vinson was the lead researcher.
He found that the antioxidant properties only showed up after a particular point in the coffee-roasting process. This means that the potential health benefits from antioxidants in coffee could be maximized or lost depending on how the coffee is roasted.
How to prepare coffee matters. The processing method significantly affects antioxidant activity. This is because roasting coffee beans reduces the amount of chlorogenic acid that is present. This is an example of how roasting coffee beans affects the level of antioxidants present.
Some studies have found that coffee has antioxidants in it.
Some other compounds found in coffee beverages contain antioxidant properties.
The following text contains research and findings on coffee as an antioxidant.
1. Cafestol
The coffee component cafestol is not removed during decaffeination. Cafestol binds to bile acids in the intestine and prevents them from being reabsorbed. Coffee may help improve memory due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
2. Trigonelline
This compound is effective against bacteria and may help to prevent tooth decay. The alkaloid trigonelline found in coffee beans is responsible for the unique aroma of coffee.
The concentration of this compound is 10 times higher in roast coffee than in green coffee, and it is also significantly higher in Arabica coffee than in Robusta coffee. When coffee is roasted, it degrades and loses some of its original qualities.
The more darkly a coffee is roasted, the less Trigonelline it will have. When it is roasted, Trigonelline partially decomposes to form nicotinic acid and pyridines.
Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, is a well-known antioxidant.
If roasters subject Trigonelline to high temperatures of between 160 and 230 degrees Celsius, they can produce vitamin B3, since 85 percent of Trigonelline will break down under those conditions. How hot the coffee is matters more than how long it stays hot.
3. Chlorogenic Acid
Both green and roasted coffee contain high levels of chlorogenic acid. CGA is a compound that is found in coffee. It is the ester of caffeic acid.
Phenolic compounds are at the heart of antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity in the body. CGA has been shown to improve insulin function in lab rats.
If CGA is effective in humans, it might be useful in treating diabetes.
Green coffee beans contain high levels of chlorogenic acid, which has been shown to boost metabolism and help the body burn fat. Research conducted on rats and humans has shown that chlorogenic acid helps to prevent fat accumulation in the body. This study used decaffeinated coffee only, not regular coffee.
Other Phenols
Some of the most active antioxidant properties are found in Hydroxycinnamic acid, which is present in coffee.
The compound hydroxycinnamic acid is said to be a very good oxidizing agent that helps to get rid of free radicals and also helps to reduce the harmful effects of oxidative stress. To single out three of the most abundant:
- 3-Caffeoylquinic acid
- 4-Caffeoylquinic acid
- 5-Caffeoylquinic acid
For example, 3-Caffeoylquinic acid consists mostly of phenolic acid; a compound found in many colorful fruits and vegetables. This compound is also a major ingredient that gives these foods their antioxidant powers.
One of the studies is Mattila P., Kumpulainen J. (2002).
It was found that coffee contains phenolic acid, which has antioxidant activity.
4. Melanoidins
Did you know that melanoidin is responsible for theunique aroma when roasting coffee?
Coffee melanoidin is important because it is the brown colored, nitrogenous compound in coffee.
The National Library of Medicine published a study that found that the high molecular weight compounds formed during the roasting process have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
5. Quinine
The bitter compound found in coffee is one of the primary agents that give the coffee its antioxidant properties. The active ingredient in quinine, an alkaloid, is derived from the bark of the tropical evergreen plant known as the Cinchona tree. The tree is native to South America, and the bark has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples there to treat malaria.
Some coffee beans have elevated quinine content, which can make them taste bitter. Quinine and coffee belong to the same Rubiaceae family. The quinine in coffee becomes more potent when the coffee is roasted significantly.
Coffee beverages contain tiny amounts of quinine substance, though. Although quinine has some benefits, it can be harmful if taken in large quantities. Some people may also have allergic reactions to quinine.
While the levels of radiation found in coffee sample tests are very low and meet the standards set by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), some people are still concerned about the safety of consuming coffee in light of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
6. Caffeine
Caffeine is an antioxidant, according to a study published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B by ACS. Caffeinated drinks can help with headaches, losing weight, and preventing diabetes.
Caffeine is structurally similar to uric acid, which is an antioxidant.
Additionally, caffeine can help men who are experiencing redness and swelling, as well as help reduce the appearance of puffiness in the skin, according to Jeffrey Benabio, M.D.
Although researchers have not determined how caffeine provides antioxidant benefits, the research is still ongoing. Caffeine is found in coffee in higher amounts than any other drink.
If it turns out that caffeine is a healthy antioxidant, this would revolutionize how it is seen around the world.
Coffee has more antioxidants than both green and black teas
16 μmol/100 ml. Espresso coffee has a FRAP of 129.16 μmol/100 ml, according to the results of another study by an Italian group of scientists. Decaffeinated coffee ranks in with 93. The FRAP test stands for Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power.
The test measures chemical changes and how well they occur when a substance has interacted with food.
The FRAP ranking for green and black teas are both 18 and 10 respectively. This would indicate that coffee has more antioxidant benefits than both types of tea.
FRAP has yet to review what exactly contributes to coffee’s antioxidant power, or to identify the specific chemicals or chemical compounds in coffee that can be singled out as the chief antioxidant agents.
Conclusion
The new research indicates that coffee antioxidants are healthier than other well known antioxidant compounds.
An antioxidants biggest contribution to coffee comes from its polyphenols, caffeine, and CGAs. However, most studies that identify coffee as a super antioxidant also identify caffeine as a major health risk to be aware of.
Caffeine can lead to health problems such as increased levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), heart disease, and muscular tremors.
If the body does not have enough magnesium, it can’t properly regulate things like how it absorbs energy from food.
It is, therefore, wise to take coffee in moderation. The benefits mentioned above result from a moderate coffee intake.