Coffee probably does more than just wake us up every morning and keep us awake.
after A study found that regular coffee consumption can extend healthy lifespan by nearly two year snow a new study highlights that it can change the composition of the gut microbiome, the environment of bacteria-like microorganisms that line the intestinal tract.
Regular coffee drinkers appeared to have higher levels of a particular strain of bacteria — Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus — than non-drinkers, the researchers behind the study report said.
“This study strengthens the belief that there is a special relationship between the food we eat and the microbes in our guts,” they said.
Although scientists know little about L. asaccharolyticus and more research is needed on its effects, it is possible that this particular strain may be linked to coffee’s protective properties for the heart, brain and other aspects of health.
Coffee and the gut are connected
A new study published in the journal Nature Microbiology builds on previous research showing that coffee has the strongest nutrient-microbiome association among more than 150 foods and beverages.
“The food we observed had the greatest effect on the composition of the gut microbiome,” the researchers said.
With this finding in mind, the research team designed a study that further explored how coffee interacts with the gut microbiome.
The team looked at 23,115 participants from the United States and Great Britain participating in various research programs. The health status of the participants was different.
What did the research reveal?
The researchers categorized the participants based on their coffee consumption. People who drank less than three glasses a month were classified as “never” drinkers, those who drank more than three glasses a day were classified as “heavy” drinkers, and those in between were classified as “moderate” drinkers.
After analyzing the gut flora of participants in each group, the research team isolated L. asaccharolyticus as the microbe most associated with coffee consumption.
Levels were 4.5 to 8 times higher in the “high” drinking group compared to the “never” coffee drinking group, and 3.4 to 6.4 times higher in the “moderate” drinking group compared to non-coffee drinkers.
The researchers note that the difference between “high” and “moderate” consumption was only 1.4 times higher and was not statistically significant in most groups.
These relationships were consistent across the US and UK populations, regardless of participants’ health status, meaning the findings were “probably independent of coffee type and composition of the diet” they say themselves.