Inflammation is a response of our immune system to fight pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, however, it also occurs when our muscles and tendons experience an overload, and it is a characteristic symptom of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, because although inflammation is our An ally against infections, it can also be the cause of many health problems when the immune system is not able to control it, as explained by Dr. Gabriela Pocoví, author of Attention with inflammation.
A healthy lifestyle protects us against excess inflammation, and the factors that influence this include the type of diet (anti-inflammatory diet), physical exercise, adequate rest and avoiding toxins such as tobacco and alcohol. Now, a new Danish study has revealed that a cup of latte could have anti-inflammatory effects, which is great news for coffee lovers.
The research has been carried out by researchers from the Department of Food Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, who analyzed how polyphenols act when combined with amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, and has shown that a combination of proteins (present in milk) and antioxidants (components of coffee) is capable of doubling the anti-inflammatory properties in immune cells. The study has been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
A healthy cocktail: coffee polyphenols and milk proteins
Polyphenols are antioxidants present in humans, plants, in many fruits and vegetables, legumes, grains, teas and wines, and in the food industry they are used to delay oxidation and deterioration of food quality, preventing that they go rancid and acquire unpleasant flavors. In people, polyphenols help reduce oxidative stress in the body responsible for inflammation. However, little research has been done on how these molecules would react when mixed with others, such as proteins in food.
“In the study, we show that when a polyphenol reacts with an amino acid, its inhibitory effect on inflammation in immune cells is enhanced. As such, it is clearly conceivable that this cocktail could also have a beneficial effect on inflammation in humans. Now we will investigate further, initially in animals. After that, we hope to receive research funds that will allow us to study the effect in humans,” said Professor Marianne Nissen Lund from the Department of Food Sciences, who led the study.
The researchers administered artificial inflammation to the immune cells. Some of them received various doses of polyphenols that had reacted with an amino acid, others only received polyphenols in the same doses, and others served as a control group and received nothing. They thus observed that the effectiveness of immune cells in fighting inflammation was multiplied by two in the case of having been treated with the combination of polyphenols and amino acids compared to cells to which only polyphenols were added.
Previous research had shown that polyphenols bind to proteins in meat products, milk and beer, and in a new study they tested whether the molecules also bind to each other in a latte drink, since coffee beans They are rich in polyphenols and milk in protein.
“Our result demonstrates that the reaction between polyphenols and proteins also occurs in some of the latte drinks we studied. In fact, the reaction happens so fast that it has been difficult to avoid in any of the foods we have studied so far”, explains Marianne Nissen Lund, who adds: “I imagine something similar happens in, for example, a meat dish. with vegetables or a smoothie, if you make sure to add some protein like milk or yogurt”.
“Because humans do not absorb as much polyphenol, many researchers are looking at how to encapsulate polyphenols in protein structures that enhance their absorption in the body. This strategy has the additional advantage of improving the anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenols”, concludes the researcher.
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