Coffee May Strike Down the COVID-19 Risk

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Highlights:

• Apart from serving as morning boost to kick start the day, coffee is also stuffed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
• This helps in diminishing the risk of COVID-19 up to 10% by drinking one or more cups of coffee per day
• The active product of coffee called caffeine is conferred to drive this protective role against inflammation in our body

Risk of COVID-19 can be slashed down to 10% by drinking one or more cups of coffee per day, (compared to less than one per day) as per a study at the Northwestern University in the US, published in the journal Nutrients.

The study had also spotted the benefits of increased vegetables and reduced processed meats consumption against the risk of COVID infection.

Properties of Coffee

Apart from serving as morning boost to kick start the day, coffee is also loaded with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Caffeine, the active ingredient of coffee drives this protective role against inflammation in our body.

‘Coffee helps in lowering down the risk of COVID-19 up to 10% by drinking one or more cups of coffee per day. This is due to its effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties found in its active ingredient � caffeine.’

Coffee is additionally a source of Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), magnesium, plant chemicals like polyphenols including chlorogenic acid and quinic acid, and diterpenes including cafestol and kahweol.

Therefore coffee guards against various diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, and even cancer. This stirs the idea to explore its further role in the current pandemic of COVID-19.

The Coffee Study

The study enrolled 40,000 British adults from the UK Biobank to establish the link between various dietary patterns and COVID. They offered them the drink as they thought it defends against the virus through its health-boosting plant chemicals.

It was noticed that coffee consumptions directly associated with inflammatory biomarkers such as CRP, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor I (TNF-I). These were in turn having a lower risk of pneumonia in the elderly.

On the contrary, heavily processed meats (as little as 0.43 servings/d) such as sausages and bacon increase the chances of becoming severely ill from COVID.

But the red meat as such did not reveal any ill effects. The vegetables and fruits with at least 0.67 servings/d (cooked or raw, excluding potatoes) also had protective effects against the COVID.

Diet and Enhanced Immunity

Thus by 'turbocharging' your immune system, the coffee was found to be related to reduced COVID-19 severity and mortality. The study thereby highlights the fact that coffee exerts an immunoprotective effect against COVID-19 and further investigations are required to explore the results.

"Our results support the hypothesis that nutritional factors may influence distinct aspects of the immune system, hence susceptibility to COVID-19. Encouraging adherence to certain nutritional behaviours (e.g., increasing vegetable intake and reducing processed meat intake) may be an additional tool to existing COVID-19 protection guidelines to limit the spread of this virus," says the study team.

The Downfall of the Turbo Charge

Since 2011-12, the coffee industry is suffering its damage as a powdery orange fungus called coffee leaf rust had spread like wildfire throughout Latin America and Central America. This led to 70% damage ($3.2 billion) to the coffee crops and farms.

The updated information for ways to manage the fungal pathogens like coffee rust faced a serious downfall in the 2008 global financial crisis that further stunted coffee demand and prices.

"Now, we're in a worse position. The COVID pandemic is taking away what few resources there were. That is leaving coffee crops around the world, and especially in the Americas, vulnerable," says Catherine Aime, a Purdue professor of mycology in the College of Agriculture.

Hence stratagems are expected to save these future outbreaks that would result in dwindling of global coffee supplies if ignored.

The Right Coffee

• It is recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that 3-5 cups of coffee a day is termed as a moderate amount of coffee that contains 400 mg of caffeine on an average.
• There is 95 mg of caffeine in one 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee.
• On a moderate dose, caffeine improves alertness, energy, and ability to concentrate.
• It also serves to overcome several chronic diseases
• During pregnancy, it is recommended not to consume more than 200 mg of caffeine on daily basis, as it may result in pregnancy loss and low birth weight.
• Moreover, higher doses may provoke negative effects such as anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, and increased heart rate.
• Therefore in limited amounts, coffee helps the immune system

References:

1. COVID's next casualty could be your cup of coffee - (https:www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2021/Q2/COVIDs-next-casualty-could-be-your-cup-of-coffee.html)
2. Epidemics and the future of coffee production - (https:www.pnas.org/content/118/27/e2023212118?_ga=2.79498900.1206908263.1626046373-660596179.1626046373)
3. 9 Reasons Why (the Right Amount of) Coffee Is Good for You - (https:www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-reasons-why-the-right-amount-of-coffee-is-good-for-you)

Source: Medindia

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