Unexpected effects of milk coffee on health

DENMARK According to a study by the University of Copenhagen, coffee with milk doubles the anti-inflammatory effect of the body's immune cells.

The study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry on January 31. Normally, when viruses and other foreign substances enter the body, the immune system immediately releases white blood cells and chemicals to protect itself. This is called the inflammatory response, which occurs when tendons and muscles are overworked and is characteristic of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

According to experts, coffee beans contain antioxidants called polyphenols. While milk contains a lot of protein. Together, these two ingredients promote the body's anti-inflammatory effects.

Polyphenols are also present in plants, fruits, and vegetables. This group of antioxidants is used by the food industry to preserve food, thereby preventing rancid taste. Polyphenols are good for human health, because they reduce stress - one of the mechanisms that cause inflammation.

Previously, there was little evidence that polyphenols could react with other molecules, such as proteins in foods. In the new study, the scientists did just that. They investigated how polyphenols work when combined with amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

The results showed that polyphenols reacted with an amino acid promoting an inhibitory effect on inflammation in enhanced immune cells. As such, this mixture is beneficial for the human immune system.

A cup of iced milk coffee. Photo: Freepik

To conduct the study, the scientists applied an artificial inflammatory response to immune cells. The first group of cells, which received varying doses of polyphenols, responded to an amino acid. The second group received equal amounts of polyphenols. The final control group did not receive the substance.

"It's interesting to see the anti-inflammatory effects in the cell experiment, which makes us want to understand the health effects (of coffee milk) in more detail," said Associate Professor Andrew Williams. Department of Health and Medical Sciences, study author, said.

Not only coffee, scientists say that sharing protein-containing foods such as meat, fish, eggs and polyphenol-containing foods such as vegetables also promotes an anti-inflammatory response.

The food industry and research community have long focused on learning about the benefits of polyphenols, working to develop ways to add polyphenols to foods to get the most out of them.

"Since humans cannot ingest many polyphenols in their daily lives, scientists are looking for ways to encapsulate polyphenols in protein structures to improve the body's ability to absorb them. This strategy could enhance the anti-inflammatory effects. inflammation of polyphenols," said Professor Marianne Nissen Lund, Department of Food Science, who led the study.