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Over the decades, researchers have published myriad studies showing that coffee is good for us—this newsletter has covered many of them. However, most studies are observational: scientists survey participants’ coffee intake and compare it with a health outcome. (For example, one from last year used self-reported dietary data to link coffee, tea, and water consumption to lower mortality.)
Basically, researchers can observe that coffee is beneficial, but they can’t say exactly why. A new study may have uncovered at least one reason.
Conducted by a team from Texas A&M University, a new analysis found that key coffee compounds, such as polyphenols, interact with a receptor protein in our bodies called NR4A1. This protein has been shown to work as an internal regulator, playing a beneficial role in how cells respond to inflammation and stress.
For the study, published in Nutrients, the researchers created coffee extracts at different intensities—they also included a decaf dilution. They measured how different compounds in the extracts interacted with NR4A1, finding that many bind with and positively influence the receptor’s activity.
“Coffee has well-known health-promoting properties,” study co-author Stephen Safe said in a press release. “What we’ve shown is that some of those effects may be linked to how coffee compounds interact with this receptor, which is involved in protecting the body from stress-induced damage.”
In particular, polyphenols such as caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid showed a strong influence on NR4A1. Previous studies have linked these compounds to coffee’s health benefits. “What we’re saying is that at least part of coffee’s health benefits may come through binding and activating this receptor,” Safe said. Interestingly, caffeine had a weaker influence on NR4A1 than other compounds, which could explain how decaffeinated coffee has also been shown to have health benefits in previous studies.
The researchers were keen to emphasize that the NR4A1 receptor is just one pathway through which coffee may impact health. “There are many receptors and many mechanisms involved. What we’re showing is that this could be one of the important pathways,” Safe said.
Read the full story on coffee’s magic mechanism from the Independent here.
Photo by Ben Moreland on Unsplash
