A new study has revealed that drinking coffee changes the microorganisms that live in our intestines, and this change is believed to have far-reaching consequences for health.
Bacteria, yeast, and fungi—collectively referred to as the gut microbiome—play an important role in digestion, nutrient absorption, bowel movement, mental health, and immunity.
Scientists believe that the gut microbiome changes depending on an individual’s diet and environment. Each person has a unique gut microbiome, with varying types and amounts of microorganisms.
Professor Dr. Tim Spector, one of the study’s authors, told Newsweek, “The study results reinforce the idea that there is a specific link between the food we eat and the microbes in our gut, which means that we have tremendous power to improve our health through the food choices we make.”
Focus on coffee
Scientists at Zoe, the US nutritional sciences company that conducted the study, chose to focus on coffee to investigate the relationship between our diets and our gut microbes.
They wrote in their study, which was published in the journal Nature Microbiology on November 18, that they chose coffee because it is widely consumed and appears to have health benefits. For example, it reduces the risk of death from heart disease and diabetes. Of the second type, and some types of cancer. People also tend to either consume coffee regularly, or not at all, unlike other foods and drinks.
“Coffee’s health benefits are likely due to its complex chemical nature,” Spector said. “Coffee made from brewing beans contains hundreds of compounds found in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. These include a range of polyphenols, which feed the gut microbiome and can help In reducing blood sugar and blood pressure.
Investigating the effect of coffee on gut bacteria
Previous research by the same scientists found that coffee – out of 150 different foods – was most closely linked to the composition of the gut microbiome.
The scientists conducted their research using data from 22,800 people in the United States and the United Kingdom, who provided detailed nutritional information, and general data from 54,200 other people.
They also analyzed more than 400 plasma samples and more than 350 stool samples, and conducted two laboratory experiments to explore how coffee affects a person’s intestines.
Bacteria also love coffee
Scientists found that one strain of bacteria, called Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus, was closely linked to coffee drinking. People who drank more than 3 cups of coffee per day had 8 times higher levels of these bacteria in their gut, compared to people who drank less than 3 cups of coffee per month.
Among people who drink coffee regularly, those who drink a lot of coffee also seemed to have a lot of Lawsonibacter asacaroliticus, although there was a greater difference between coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers.
The scientists found that the relationship was remarkably consistent across groups of people in 25 different countries, and when they fed Lawsonibacter asacaroliticus coffee – which was studied in a test tube – the bacteria grew.
Scientists have speculated that this strain of bacteria may be the main reason why coffee is associated with so many benefits, as these bacteria can convert components found in coffee into other, more beneficial compounds, with more health benefits.
“At the moment, we don’t know how this microbe affects our health, although it may be involved in positive health effects that we can thank coffee for,” Spector added. “This is the tip of the iceberg and shows how, with the enormous sample size of the Zoe database, we can “Opening up more food-microbe connections, telling us how to eat for better health.”