Do not add this to coffee if you do not want to diminish its effectiveness!

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Coffee is known for being a beverage with numerous health benefits. However, do not add this to coffee if you do not want to diminish its effectiveness! To diversify the flavor of a cup of coffee, manufacturers often combine coffee with various spices such as milk, sugar, cinnamon, etc., and of course, not every combination is favorable!

The health benefits of coffee

When consumed moderately, coffee can bring about various health benefits, not just the delightful flavor and mental relaxation. Drinking coffee in moderation can help reduce the risk of developing certain diseases related to the heart, liver, Parkinson’s, etc.

Coffee is also a rich source of polyphenols, with 214 mg of polyphenols in 100ml of coffee, which plays a role in protecting against the development of certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Thanks to its antioxidant properties, a cup of coffee is genuinely beneficial for the gut bacteria and the human brain.

Do not add this to coffee to preserve its benefits

Many experts believe that the combination of milk and coffee may diminish the effectiveness of coffee.

We often add milk and sweeteners to coffee to create a harmonious, bittersweet flavor. However, adding milk to coffee inadvertently reduces the coffee’s benefits. Robert Love, a neuroscience expert, explains that the proteins and milk will bind with polyphenols in coffee, reducing the human body’s ability to absorb these beneficial polyphenols and diminishing their antioxidant properties. This is because polyphenols easily react with components in other foods, affecting their nutritional properties.

While a cup of coffee with milk may taste good, it hinders the body’s absorption of valuable health benefits from coffee. Additionally, combining milk and coffee poses risks of weight gain and obesity due to the high calorie content.

This phenomenon is not exclusive to coffee; it also applies to many other foods containing polyphenols, such as blueberries. When you consume cow’s milk with blueberries, the protein in cow’s milk binds with the polyphenols in blueberries, diminishing the nutritional value of the fruit.

However, another study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2023 suggests that polyphenols in coffee binding with an amino acid in milk may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, more research is needed to accurately confirm these findings.

What should you add to coffee instead of milk?

To add a bit of sweetness to your coffee, you can choose coconut milk, stevia (a natural sweetener derived from the leaves of the sweet herb), or monk fruit sweetener. This way, you can protect your drink from harmful refined sugars while still enjoying the desired sweetness and health benefits.

The changes in coffee when combined with milk are a topic of interest for many nutrition experts, with numerous studies revolving around it. It seems that more time is needed to definitively establish the effects. However, aside from the antioxidant aspect, users should also limit the addition of sweeteners and fats to coffee to protect cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of obesity.

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