A new study has concluded that the combination of milk and coffee may work together to actually inhibit inflation, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have stumbled upon what appears to be an inflation-fighting combination of polyphenols and amino acids, one that occurs when you mix coffee with milk.
Polyphenols, Flavonoids, and Amino Acids
Polyphenols are naturally occurring organic compounds with antioxidant properties, and one of their four classes is flavonoids, which are found in tea, fruits, citrus fruits, berries, grapes, and onions. Polyphenols are also found in coffee, red wine, chocolate, olives, some vegetables, and in beer.
There are roughly 20 standard amino acids that are used by the human body from diet to either synthesize proteins or are oxidized to urea and carbon dioxide as a source of energy.
Inflation-fighting combo: Coffee with milk
In the study, which was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers working in the lab closely examined how these naturally occurring antioxidants reacted when they are mixed with amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, Web MD reported.
For testing purposes within the study, the researchers artificially inflamed human immune cells. Next, they were given either a combination of polyphenols and amino acids, only polyphenols, or nothing at all.
What the researchers found is that when combining polyphenols with amino acids, they were twice as effective at fighting inflammation in the cells as polyphenols were alone.
“In the study, we show that when a polyphenol has reacted with an amino acid, the polyphenol has an extra inhibitory effect on inflammation in immune cells,” said Marianne Nissen Lund, a professor with the university’s Department of Food Science, and one of the leading authors in the study. “Therefore, it is natural to imagine that this cocktail could also have a beneficial effect on inflammation in humans.”
“Our results show that the reaction between polyphenols and proteins also occurs in some coffee drinks with milk that we have investigated,” Lund added.
Coffee beans are full of polyphenols, while milk is rich in proteins, a news release from the University of Copenhagen said.
Researchers believe a similar reaction would likely occur between polyphenols and amino acids in a meat dish with vegetables or a smoothie if a protein like milk or yogurt was used, according to Lund. Tea with milk was also likely to form a similar combination.
The researchers at the University are hopeful they can obtain additional funds to continue to investigate the health effects of polyphenols and amino acids on humans.
