Science now suggests that it also improves mood (even decaffeinated)

For many of us, life doesn’t begin until we drink our first cup of coffee in the morning to receive the morning rush that we directly associate with the power of caffeine. But the reality is that this is not the culprit, but rather the coffee itself (even without caffeine) and its interaction with the microbiota It is our digestive system that is truly responsible for our high.

What has been seen? A recent and exhaustive study published in the prestigious magazine Nature has shown than regular coffee consumption drastically modifies our intestinal microbiomewhich is increasingly beginning to have more relevance. And, through the well-known gut-brain axis, which can be imagined as a highway that connects both places, this drink is capable of improving our mood and reducing stress.

An experiment. To reach this result, the research team recruited 31 regular coffee drinkers, who consumed between 3 and 5 cups a day. But at the same time they also needed 31 people not to drink any coffee. From here, regular consumers were subjected to what was probably the worst fortnight of their lives: two weeks without drinking any coffee.

The good news is that, after this period, the drink was reintroducedbut in a controlled way, separating the subjects between those who drank normal coffee and those who drank decaffeinated coffee.

The result. Through stool and blood analysis, along with psychological and cognitive tests, it was possible to see that when coffee was reintroduced, markers of perceived stress plummeted and mood improved. And since decaf achieved the same psychological impact, the researchers concluded that what is responsible for making us feel good is not (only) caffeine, but the bioactive compounds in coffee feeding our bacteria.

Because? When we are drinking coffee, the reality is that we drink a powerful cocktail of polyphenols and chlorogenic acids that act as prebiotics, making them perfect food for certain beneficial bacteria that live in our colon.

Here the study detected that coffee promotes the growth of some specific species such as Eggertella sp. as well as an increase in the Firmicutes family. Although they have very strange names (like almost everything in microbiology), these microorganisms are health factories, since when they digest the compounds, short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate are produced. And these metabolites travel from the intestine to the brain, reducing neuronal inflammation and modulating the production of neurotransmitters key to well-being.

There are many tests. In addition to this study, there are other different ones, such as one published in 2024 that linked coffee consumption to an increase in bacteria Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticusa powerful butyrate producer strongly linked to intestinal and mental health.

but another published in 2022 showed that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee mitigated depressive behaviors and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, normalizing the microbiota deregulated by lack of rest.

More than a stimulant. For decades, coffee’s relationship with gastrointestinal health has been a topic of debate that is often blamed on reflux. However, current evidence paints a very different picture in moderate doses, since here it is an active tool to maintain a diverse intestinal ecosystem and is also positive to protect us against other diseases.

Images | prostooleh on Freepik

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