Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled?

Abstract

The association of habitual coffee consumption with a lower risk of diseases, like type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic liver disease, certain cancer types, or with reduced all-cause mortality, has been confirmed in prospective cohort studies in many regions of the world. The molecular mechanism is still unresolved. The radical-scavenging and anti-inflammatory activity of coffee constituents is too weak to account for such effects. We argue here that coffee as a plant food has similar beneficial properties to many vegetables and fruits. Recent studies have identified a health promoting mechanism common to coffee, vegetables and fruits, i.e., the activation of an adaptive cellular response characterized by the upregulation of proteins involved in cell protection, notably antioxidant, detoxifying and repair enzymes. Key to this response is the activation of the Nrf2 (Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2) system by phenolic phytochemicals, which induces the expression of cell defense genes. Coffee plays a dominant role in that regard because it is the major dietary source of phenolic acids and polyphenols in the developed world. A possible supportive action may be the modulation of the gut microbiota by non-digested prebiotic constituents of coffee, but the available data are still scarce. We conclude that coffee employs similar pathways of promoting health as assumed for other vegetables and fruits. Coffee beans may be viewed as healthy vegetable food and a main supplier of dietary phenolic phytochemicals.

Translation and Validation of the Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire in Brazil (CaffEQ-BR)

“…Across previous CaffEQ studies, caffeine was consumed mainly in coffee, a habit also observed in Brazil [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Globally, habitual coffee consumption ranges from about 1 to more than 5 cups per day, which indicates that the daily dose is defined by several reasons, like lifestyle, gender, expectance of caffeine effects, culture, genetics, health effects, among others [ 2 , 36 , 57 ]. Most of our sample (69%) are used to consuming 2 or 3 portions of coffee daily ( Table 3 ).…”

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Caffeine Implications on the Eukaryotic Cell

“…Caffeine, one of the most consumed and widely accepted neurostimulants, is also a powerful agent used in life science research. Due to its pleiotropic effects [ 163 ], caffeine is an active modulator of different enzymes and their regulatory pathways, which include important molecular players such as TOR kinases or DNA damage checkpoint kinases. Many of the studies reviewed here, which made use of the interaction between caffeine and S. cerevisiae, contributed to elucidating molecular mechanisms involved in biologic processes of general concern, such as DNA repair mechanisms, cancer, or aging.…”

Eurycoma longifolia—Infused Coffee—An Oral Toxicity Study

“…No dose-dependent conclusion can be drawn from the changes observed in the 0.29 g/kg BW group, as the highest dose did not exacerbate the parameters measured. Contrarily, the consumption of coffee has been reported to decrease liver enzymes associated with liver damage and has shown protective effects attributed to its polyphenol content [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. There were favorable significant reductions in liver enzymes (ALP and ALT) and lipid profile indicator (triglyceride) in the low male dose group but no trend was evident in the higher dose groups except in the female triglyceride level when given the high dose.…”

“…The interactions between the different components present in both coffee and TA and additionally with food may have exerted their effects on the parameters measured in this study. Both coffee and TA are made up of various phytochemicals, such as caffeine and polyphenols, found in coffee, and eurycomanone, a major compound found in TA [ 1 , 39 , 40 ]. Caffeine has been well studied and is reported to have a high tolerance dose of 400 mg/day in human [ 44 , 45 , 46 ].…”