Through media coverage and advertising, coffee drinking has become a fad, and most people drink at least one cup of coffee a day. There has been much discussion about the benefits of drinking coffee, and recent studies have found that coffee can also help reduce the incidence of autoimmune diseases.
Understanding Autoimmune Diseases
Patients with autoimmune diseases develop “autoimmune antibodies” that attack their own cells, tissues and organs. The development of autoantibodies may be related to the following factors.
1. Immune dysregulation following a previous viral infection
2. Loss of tolerance to proteins and substances produced in the body (also known as autoantigens)
Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease, which is a systemic disease caused by autoimmune antibodies attacking organs throughout the body, mostly occurring in women. Clinical symptoms can range from very mild to very severe, often with multiple organ system invasions, and the course of the disease often changes very rapidly. According to research, systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with genetic inheritance, hormonal and environmental factors.
Coffee helps reduce the incidence of autoimmune diseases
A team of researchers from the University of Michigan’s Rheumatology and Immunology Department has studied the effect of caffeine on the regulation of inflammatory responses by mononuclear white blood cells in human blood and found that caffeine can reduce inflammatory responses in autoimmune diseases (including lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis). This means that the amount of expression of genes upstream of the inflammatory response is reduced, which in turn reduces the production of inflammation-related cytokines, without which the inflammatory response would not occur. The results of the study were published in the April 2018 issue of Clinical Immunology (Clinical Immunology 2018; 192:68-77).
This study shows that drinking coffee can help reduce the onset of autoimmune diseases, as well as reduce the severity of symptoms, and just one cup of coffee a day will help, for modern people who like to drink coffee, in addition to satisfying the appetite, improve mood, but also to maintain health.
Concerned about cancer, it is recommended to drink lightly roasted coffee
In March 2018, a California court ruled that California’s coffee industry needs to add the warning “acrylamide causes cancer”, mainly because the process of coffee roasting will generate acrylamide due to the high temperature and the “Mena reaction”.
Of course, the amount of acrylamide produced is related to the roasting time. Heavy roasted coffee has more acrylamide content, while lightly roasted coffee has more fruit flavor and less acrylamide content, so it is recommended that drinking lightly roasted coffee is safer and if it really causes cancer, the chance is much lower.
However, commercially available coffees such as cappuccino and latte are made with “heavy roast” coffee, which brings a strong coffee flavor to drink, but the acrylamide content is relatively higher.
Healthy Coffee Drinking
Lightly roasted coffee has a richer fruit flavor and no bitterness, so it is suitable for drinking directly without adding sugar and milk. Heavy roast coffee is more bitter and suitable for cappuccino or latte. However, in general, drinking black coffee (pure coffee without any condiments) is better for health. If you want to add condiments, unsweetened soy milk or low-fat milk would be a better choice.
If you want to use coffee to refresh, focus and increase work efficiency, it is recommended to drink coffee without sugar and creamer after breakfast; for people with sleep disorders, it is recommended not to drink coffee after 12 noon.
It is important to note that drinking more than four cups of coffee a day is likely to cause osteoporosis, especially for women after menopause.
Recommended reading:
The truth about sugary drinks, don’t be fooled by micro sugar
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