Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled?
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 sti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/6/1842 |
| _version_ | 1797564683482300416 |
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| author | Hubert Kolb Kerstin Kempf Stephan Martin |
| author_facet | Hubert Kolb Kerstin Kempf Stephan Martin |
| author_sort | Hubert Kolb |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:00:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a0dc7fee11d343efbb25fcab70fcb11c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:00:28Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-a0dc7fee11d343efbb25fcab70fcb11c2023-11-20T04:27:45ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432020-06-01126184210.3390/nu12061842Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled?Hubert Kolb0Kerstin Kempf1Stephan Martin2Faculty of Medicine, University of Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, GermanyWest-German Centre of Diabetes and Health, Duesseldorf Catholic Hospital Group, Hohensandweg 37, 40591 Duesseldorf, GermanyFaculty of Medicine, University of Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, GermanyThe 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/6/1842coffeephytochemicalscaffeinediabetesDNA damageantioxidant |
| spellingShingle | Hubert Kolb Kerstin Kempf Stephan Martin Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled? Nutrients coffee phytochemicals caffeine diabetes DNA damage antioxidant |
| title | Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled? |
| title_full | Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled? |
| title_fullStr | Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled? |
| title_short | Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled? |
| title_sort | health effects of coffee mechanism unraveled |
| topic | coffee phytochemicals caffeine diabetes DNA damage antioxidant |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/6/1842 |
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