Did you know your morning coffee leaves a microbial signature in your gut?
In one of ZOE’s latest studies, published in the leading journal Nature Microbiology, we analysed gut microbiome data from more than 22,000 people across 25 countries to understand how coffee affects our microbes (PMID: 39558133).
We identified over 100 bacterial species linked to coffee drinking. The most striking was Lactobacillus asaccharolyticus, which was around 6 to 8 times more abundant in regular coffee drinkers.
Interestingly, this same relationship held true for decaf coffee, suggesting that the effects come not from caffeine, but from coffee’s rich mix of plant compounds, such as polyphenols.
These compounds are broken down by gut microbes into metabolites like quinic acid and hippurate, which are linked with metabolic benefits (PMID: 29057986). In other words, the chemistry of coffee may help explain why regular coffee drinkers often have better markers of metabolic and heart health.
If you enjoy your morning coffee, caffeinated or not, you can do so knowing there’s good evidence that it supports your gut and overall health.
ZOE
Did you know your morning coffee leaves a microbial signature in your gut?
In one of ZOE’s latest studies, published in the leading journal Nature Microbiology, we analysed gut microbiome data from more than 22,000 people across 25 countries to understand how coffee affects our microbes (PMID: 39558133).
We identified over 100 bacterial species linked to coffee drinking. The most striking was Lactobacillus asaccharolyticus, which was around 6 to 8 times more abundant in regular coffee drinkers.
Interestingly, this same relationship held true for decaf coffee, suggesting that the effects come not from caffeine, but from coffee’s rich mix of plant compounds, such as polyphenols.
These compounds are broken down by gut microbes into metabolites like quinic acid and hippurate, which are linked with metabolic benefits (PMID: 29057986). In other words, the chemistry of coffee may help explain why regular coffee drinkers often have better markers of metabolic and heart health.
If you enjoy your morning coffee, caffeinated or not, you can do so knowing there’s good evidence that it supports your gut and overall health.
So, are you team caffeine or decaf?
1 month ago | [YT] | 141