Many people opt for a coffee for breakfast to start the day on the right foot and give themselves a little boost. Know that for your health, you better add to it a milk cloud. The idea did not come from us, but from a team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen who highlighted the anti-inflammatory properties of a coffee with milk. The results of their study published on January 30, 2023 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry are formal: milk proteins when combined with the antioxidant effects of coffee would make immune cells twice as effective in fighting inflammation.
Latte coffee healthier than an espresso?
To reach such a conclusion, the scientists wondered about the links between the functioning of polyphenols, namely antioxidant compounds that help protect cells against damage, and proteins. This is how they discovered that polyphenols bind to proteins in milk, meat, or even beer when they are brought into contact. What confirm the theories of studies carried out previously.
As reported Marie Claireto verify the impact of this bond on the functioning of polyphenols in the body, “a team from the University of Copenhagen induced artificial inflammation in immune cells in the laboratory”. Three test groups were then formed: “one group of cells with polyphenols reacted with an amino acid, a building block of proteins, another group with polyphenols alone and a third control group of cells that received neither the polyphenols nor the polyphenol/amino acid combination” .
Result ? Immune cells treated with the amino acid/polyphenol combination have been shown to “twice as effective at fighting inflammation as cells dosed with polyphenols alone“. You will now remember to sprinkle your coffee with milk to enjoy all its benefits.
