Coffee’s hidden health power: What makes it so beneficial?
How coffee benefits the body (photo: magnific)
Caffeine has long been considered the main factor behind coffee’s effects on the body. However, the drink contains beneficial compounds that most coffee lovers rarely think about, according to professor and nutritionist Oleh Shvets.
What the research shows
According to the expert, coffee is made from different varieties of beans, and roasting, grinding, and extraction processes vary.
People who drink coffee tend to live longer and have a lower risk of several age-related diseases, including metabolic disorders, certain types of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and cardiovascular diseases.
A new study from Texas A&M University, published in the journal Nutrients, suggests that brewed coffee contains compounds that interact with a little-studied cellular receptor, potentially influencing inflammation, aging processes, and cancer-related mechanisms.
In the study, researchers focused on NR4A1 — a receptor that responds to dietary compounds (a so-called nutrient sensor) and plays an important role in maintaining health during aging. It is activated during inflammation and cell damage and is also believed to support tissue protection.
Among the identified compounds were polyphenols (caffeic, chlorogenic, and ferulic acids) and diterpenes (kahweol and cafestol).
In experiments on cancer cell lines, coffee extracts and some of these compounds slowed cell growth. When researchers reduced NR4A1 levels in cells, this effect weakened, suggesting the receptor plays a role in coffee’s biological activity.
Why brewed coffee may be beneficial
The doctor noted that brewed coffee contains over 1,000 chemical compounds, many of which have antioxidant or anti-inflammatory properties.
Caffeine, often seen as coffee’s main ingredient, showed a more variable and relatively weaker effect on the NR4A1 receptor compared to polyphenols.
This suggests that coffee’s health benefits may come not from caffeine alone, but from a complex mix of bioactive compounds. This also helps explain why both regular and decaffeinated coffee are associated with similar health benefits in large population studies.
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