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Coffee Anyone?
 
 

Coffee confirmed as a significant source of antioxidants in the diet
if you ask any discerning coffee drinker what the perceived health benefits of drinking coffee are, and most will ask in return, "What health benefits?". Understandable, as during the past 20 years we have seen and heard many negative messages concerning coffee and caffeine intake. However, new research from the Institute for Coffee Studies at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville, USA, is giving us another perspective.

At the World Coffee Conference in London in 2001, Professor Peter Martin, Director of the Institute for Coffee Studies (ICS) confirmed that: "[The] latest scientific evidence indicates that in moderation (2 - 4 cups per day) not only is coffee not bad for you, it may offer some health benefits".

Vanderbilt University, which is recognized worldwide as a centre of academic excellence, undertakes through the ICS, scientific investigations to identify both the potential health benefits and therapeutic uses of coffee as well as elucidate some of the fundamental mechanisms involved.

Coffee contains hundreds of compounds that may help with research into some of the most prevalent diseases of our time and one of the most exciting discoveries is the significant presence of antioxidants* within coffee beans.

Antioxidants are proven to help mitigate the chances of heart disease and cancer (the two biggest killers in the UK today). "We are only just beginning to understand the potential health benefits of some of the hundreds of compounds in coffee as most studies have previously focused on caffeine,” said Professor Martin.

The International Coffee Organization is also aware, for example, of results from other studies that clearly demonstrate that coffee contains up to four times the antioxidant levels found in tea."The prospect that coffee could reduce the risk of death from heart disease is an important and exciting lead for further study,” said Professor Martin.

Recent research in Norway (Svilaas 2004) has further supported the important role played by coffee as a significant source of antioxidants in the diet. Svilaas and his team set out to determine the contribution of various food groups to total antioxidant intake and to correlate those intakes with plasma antioxidants.

The total intake of antioxidants from various food groups are shown in the table below: -

Source

Intake of antioxidants
(mmol)

Percentage of total antioxidant intake

Coffee

11.1

64

Fruit

1.8

11

Tea

1.4

8

Wine

0.8

5

Cereals

0.8

5

Vegetables

0.4

2

Other foods (inc. fruit juices, edible fat and cakes)

0.8

5
 

The data clearly demonstrates that coffee was a major contributor to total antioxidant intake. Whilst several studies have previously reported high levels of antioxidant in coffee, this is the first time this high contribution to the dietary intake has been noted.

Chlorogenic acid (a combination of caffeic acid and quinic acid) is the most abundant polyphenol in coffee and is likely to represent a substantial part of coffee antioxidants. Coffee has already been linked with reduced incidence of gallstones, liver cirrhosis and Type 2 diabetes and coffee is being increasingly indicated to be protective in model cancer studies.

Whilst the mechanisms are not yet fully understood, these results present a exciting and significant addition to our knowledge about the beneficial role drinking coffee can make to our health.

 
Reference:
  • Svilaas A. et al. (2004) Intakes of Antioxidants in Coffee, Wine and Vegetables are Correlated with Plasma Carotenoids in Humans. Journal of Nutrition, Volume 134, pp 562 -567
  • Natella, F. et al. (2002) Coffee drinking influences plasma antioxidant capacity in humans. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50 (21), 6211-6
  • Lekse, J.M. et al. (2001) Plant catechols prevent lipid peroxidation in human plasma and erythrocytes. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 226, 89-95
  • Richelle, M. et al. (2001) Comparison of the antioxidant activity of commonly consumed polyphenolic beverages (coffee, cocoa, and tea) prepared per cup serving. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 49, 3438-42
  • Daglia, M. et al. (2000) In vitro antioxidant and ex vivo protective activities of green and roasted coffee Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 48(5),1449-54
  • Hertog, M.G.L. et al. (1993) Dietary antioxidant flavonoids and risk of coronary heart disease Lancet, 342, 1007-11
  • Nicoli, M.C. et al. (1997) Antioxidant properties of coffee brews in relation to the roasting time. Lebensmittel, Wissenschaft und Technologie, 30, 292-7
  • Singhara, A. et al. (1997) Presentation at the American Chemical Society national meeting, San Francisco, USA, April 1997
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