Adding a little milk to your morning coffee may boost the drink’s anti-inflammatory properties, according to new research. have demonstrated how they combine and amplify potential health benefits.
This research focused on a family of organic compounds known as polyphenols. Polyphenols contained in many foods have antioxidant properties and reduce oxidative stress in the human body. However, surprisingly little is known about how polyphenols interact with other molecules in food.
In two new studies, researchers from the University of Copenhagen pinpointed one specific polyphenolic interaction: caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid (two major polyphenols in coffee) and cysteine (an important protein in milk). I paid attention.
The first new study examined the effects of these polyphenol and protein combinations on immune cells under laboratory conditions. and protein combination effectively prevented inflammation.
The results were impressive, with protein-spiked polyphenols found to be twice as effective in preventing immune cell inflammation compared to polyphenols alone.
“This study shows that as polyphenols react with amino acids, they have a greater inhibitory effect on immune cell inflammation,” said Marianne Nissen Lund, principal investigator of the study. “It is therefore clear that this cocktail may also have beneficial effects on human inflammation.”
The next step in the study was to investigate whether this particular polyphenol-protein binding occurs in coffee beverages with milk. You have effectively shown to generate
“Our results show that a reaction between polyphenols and proteins also occurs in some of the milk-laced coffee drinks we studied,” said Lund. It occurs so quickly that it’s been difficult to avoid with any of the foods we’ve studied.”
Lund also suggests that these beneficial polyphenol-protein interactions are likely to occur in other food combinations, such as meat and vegetables, or fruit and milk smoothies.
At this time, researchers have only observed these anti-inflammatory effects in cell experiments. Animal studies are the next step for researchers, followed by potentially human studies. Research is also underway to look at how proteins can be engineered to increase polyphenol activity in the human body, Lund said.
“Humans don’t absorb as much polyphenols, so many researchers are investigating ways to encapsulate polyphenols in protein structures that improve their absorption in the body.” It has the added benefit of increasing
The new research food chemistry When Agricultural and Food Chemistry Journal.
Source: University of Copenhagen
