According to the latest reports, it seems that coffee could protect against various types of COVID-19 strains. Check out the latest reports about this below.
Coffee protects against COVID-19
Recent research suggests that drinking coffee, which is enjoyed globally for its signature fragrance and flavor, can provide a double benefit by jumpstarting your mornings and potentially providing protection against COVID-19.
The study reveals that coffee may prevent the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, from attaching to cells and thus, fend off illness.
Previous research has shown that a diet rich in polyphenols, which are compounds found in plants with antioxidant properties, may enhance immune function and reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms.
However, the recent study published in Cell & Bioscience has gone a step further and investigated whether drinking coffee, which is a source of polyphenols, can also lower the risk of COVID-19 infection.
Researchers conducted lab testing of human cells and a trial with 64 participants infected with a SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-virus.
Lab tests have discovered that coffee has the ability to inhibit multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 by preventing viral binding to the ACE2 receptor on cells.
Additionally, it reduces the activity of proteins that are linked to severe illness. Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, a board-certified internist, author, and director of the Practitioners Alliance Network, who was not associated with the study, explained that coffee simply prevents the virus from infecting the human body.
The human trial revealed that drinking one to two cups of coffee a day could effectively inhibit infection across variants, including delta and omicron.
The study also found that different types of coffee, such as ground, instant, caffeinated, and decaffeinated, had consistent effects.
Based on the findings, the authors have suggested that coffee could be a viable dietary strategy to prevent COVID-19.
A recent study analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database, to determine if people’s past diet affected their COVID-19 infection risk in 2020.
The research team examined the dietary behaviors of almost 38,000 individuals between 2006 and 2010.
The study revealed that drinking at least one cup of coffee per day was linked to a 10 percent reduction in the risk of COVID-19 infection compared to those who consumed less coffee daily.
Additionally, consuming about ¾ cup of non-potato vegetables daily appeared to be protective against COVID-19 infection.
However, the study also found that consuming less than half a serving of processed meat daily (but not red meat) increased the risk of COVID-19 infection.
This study adds to evidence from a much larger 2021 Northwestern University study that also had human participants.
