Tea and coffee have been connected to different health effects through various studies. A new study has continued with the exploration of coffee and added the additional factor of the addition of milk to the cup.
This is in relation to coffee with milk possibly having an anti-inflammatory effect. Research from the University of Copenhagen (Faculty of Science) finds that a combination of proteins and antioxidants doubles the anti-inflammatory properties in immune cells.
These findings are based on laboratory models; the researchers hope to be able to study the health effects on humans.
The reaction of the immune system to infection is referred to as inflammation. While this response is often effective at combatting pathogens, it also occurs whenever a person overloads tendons and muscles. It is also characteristic of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. To address the adverse effects of inflammation, medics have for many years investigated the effects of polyphenols. These chemicals appear to help reduce oxidative stress in the body that gives rise to inflammation.
One research strand has looked into what occurs when polyphenols react with other molecules, such as proteins mixed into foods that people consume. A recent investigation considers how polyphenols behave when combined with amino acids (the building blocks of proteins).
Polyphenols are a group of naturally occurring antioxidants important for humans. They prevent and delay the oxidation of healthy chemical substances and organs in our bodies, thereby protecting them from damage or destruction.
As a first phase of the research, the scientists applied artificial inflammation to immune cells. In this experiment, some of the cells received various doses of polyphenols that had reacted with an amino acid and others received polyphenols in the same doses. A control group received nothing.
The scientists noted that immune cells treated with the combination of polyphenols and amino acids were twice as effective at fighting inflammation as the cells to which only polyphenols were added.
How does this relate to coffee? Previous studies demonstrated that polyphenols bind to proteins in milk and do so quote effectively in a coffee drink with milk. In this scenario, coffee beans are filled with polyphenols and milk is rich in proteins.
This leads to considerations about whether adding the right quantities of polyphenols in foods will aid overall health? This is particularly with finding ways to improve the absorption of polyphenols in the body.
The research appears in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, titled “Phenolic Acid–Amino Acid Adducts Exert Distinct Immunomodulatory Effects in Macrophages Compared to Parent Phenolic Acids” and the publication Food Chemistry, titled “Covalent bonding between polyphenols and proteins: Synthesis of caffeic acid-cysteine and chlorogenic acid-cysteine adducts and their quantification in dairy beverages.”
