A study conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, shows that one of the drinks most consumed by Brazilians can bring health benefits. Café au lait demonstrated a potential anti-inflammatory effect. The combination of proteins and antioxidants doubles the anti-inflammatory properties in immune cells. The researchers hope to be able to study the health effects in humans.
Coffee is rich in polyphenols, a well-known antioxidant. The amino acids, which form proteins, are present in abundance in milk. It was the relationship between these two components that scientists decided to research. The new study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
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Whenever bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances enter the body, our immune system reacts, deploying white blood cells and chemicals to protect us. This reaction, commonly known as inflammation, also occurs whenever tendons and muscles are overworked and is characteristic of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Antioxidants known as polyphenols are found in humans, plants, fruits and vegetables. This group of antioxidants is also used by the food industry to delay oxidation and deterioration of food quality and thus prevent unpleasant flavors and rancidity (the quality or state of what becomes rancid). Polyphenols are also known to be healthy for humans as they help reduce oxidative stress in the body that gives rise to inflammation.
Combination with amino acids
But there’s still a lot to discover about polyphenols. Relatively few studies have investigated what happens when they react with other molecules, such as proteins mixed in the food we eat.
In the new study, researchers from the Department of Food Science and the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Copenhagen investigated how polyphenols behave when combined with amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The results have been promising.
“In the study, we showed that when a polyphenol reacts with an amino acid, its inhibitory effect on inflammation in immune cells increases. As such, it is clearly imaginable that this cocktail could also have a beneficial effect on inflammation in humans. Let’s now investigate further, initially in animals. After that, we hope to receive research funding that will allow us to study the effect in humans,” said Professor Marianne Nissen Lund from the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen, who led the study.
Twice as good at fighting inflammation
To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of combining polyphenols with proteins, the researchers applied artificial inflammation to immune system cells. Some of the cells received multiple doses of polyphenols that reacted with an amino acid, while others received only polyphenols at the same doses. A control group received nothing.
The researchers observed that immune cells treated with the combination of polyphenols and amino acids were twice as effective at fighting inflammation as cells to which only polyphenols were added.
“It is interesting to have now observed the anti-inflammatory effect in experiments with cells. And obviously, that just made us more interested in understanding these health effects in more detail. So the next step will be to study the effects in animals,” said associate professor Andrew Williams, from the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, who is also a senior author on the study.
Presence in coffee with milk
Previous studies by researchers have shown that polyphenols bind to proteins in meat products, milk and beer. In another new study, published in the journal Food Chemistry, they tested whether the molecules also bind to each other in a latte drink. In fact, coffee beans are rich in polyphenols, while milk is rich in protein.
“Our result demonstrates that the reaction between polyphenols and proteins also occurs in some of the café au lait drinks we studied. In fact, the reaction occurs so quickly that it’s been difficult to avoid in any of the foods we’ve studied. until now,” said Marianne Nissen Lund.
The researcher does not find it difficult to imagine that the reaction and the potentially beneficial anti-inflammatory effect also occur when other foods composed of proteins and fruits or vegetables are combined. “I can imagine something similar happening, for example, in a meat dish with vegetables or in a smoothie, if you add some protein like milk or yogurt,” she noted.
The industry and research community have noted the major advantages of polyphenols. As such, they are working on how to add the right amounts of polyphenols to food for the best quality. The new research results are also promising in this context: “As humans do not absorb as much polyphenol, many researchers are studying how to encapsulate polyphenols in protein structures that improve their absorption in the body. This strategy has the added advantage of potentiating the anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenols,” explained Marianne Nissen Lund.
Facts about polyphenols
Polyphenols are a group of important natural antioxidants for humans. They prevent and delay the oxidation of healthy chemicals and organs in our bodies, thus protecting them from damage or destruction.
Polyphenols are found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, tea, coffee, red wine and beer. Due to their antioxidant properties, they are used in the food industry to minimize the oxidation of fats in particular, as well as the deterioration of food quality, to avoid unpleasant flavors and rancidity.
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