Is Coffee Inflammatory or Anti-Inflammatory?

According to studies, decaf coffee may have similar advantages to normal coffee.

Results from a few studies suggest that drinking decaffeinated coffee as opposed to caffeinated coffee may result in a small reduction in inflammatory markers. However, it is generally agreed that caffeine does not contribute much to the anti-inflammatory effects associated with drinking coffee.

Other coffee polyphenols, which can be found in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, are the real culprits.

Coffee, both caffeinated and decaffeinated, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can be used in therapeutic approaches or as preventative measures in pathological conditions.

Caffeine, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, cafestol, and kahweol are the primary bioactive chemicals in coffee that have medicinal potential. In animal models, it has been demonstrated that these substances work synergistically to reduce inflammation, hasten wound healing, and modulate inflammatory and neuropathic pain.

Data from in vivo, in vitro, and human clinical trials have shown that coffee has protective effects against:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Parkinson's disease
• Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found an association between caffeine use and cardiovascular disease, systemic inflammation, and getting older. An extensive analysis of blood samples, survey information, medical histories, and family histories collected from more than 100 human participants for a multiyear study has identified a fundamental inflammatory mechanism linked to human aging and the chronic diseases that come along with it.

Researchers from the Iowa Women's Health Study discovered in 2006 that postmenopausal women who drank coffee had a lower risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other inflammatory disorders. 

According to a 2010 study by Kerstin Kempf of Heinrich Heine University published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, drinking coffee decreases inflammation and increases high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Studies reported that including coffee in your diet can be a beneficial anti-inflammatory strategy.

A study, which appeared online in Nature Medicine, links this inflammatory process to cardiovascular disease and higher rates of death in general. The study reported that nucleic acid metabolites, or breakdown products, which circulate in the blood and act as the building blocks for our genes, can cause this inflammatory response. The study also reported that the activity of these circulating nucleic acid metabolites may be blocked by caffeine and its metabolites, which may help explain why coffee consumers typically live longer than abstainers.

Many of us turn to coffee because of the stimulating effects of caffeine, but too much caffeine can result in jitters and a racing heart. This raises the question of whether drinking too much coffee could eventually cause an inflammatory reaction. 

• Despite the lack of research, studies that reported a link between coffee and reduced inflammatory markers included data from a range of coffee consumptions.
• Individuals who drank more caffeinated coffee (between three and seven cups) appeared to have advantages over those who drank less.
• That doesn't imply that you ought to drink that much coffee with caffeine. 

The FDA states that 400 mg of caffeine per day, which is equivalent to four or five cups of coffee, is generally safe (note that this refers to eight-ounce cups; many mugs and takeout cups are larger). Pay attention to the doses that seem comfortable for you and reduce them if you have any negative effects such as anxiety, a racing heartbeat, an upset stomach, or headaches.