An international group of scientists from the Netherlands, Spain, France and other countries found that polyphenols found in coffee help the brain maintain cognitive function during chronic stress. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine Neurobiology of Stress (NOS).
Coffee polyphenols are bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties, including chlorogenic acids, flavonoids, and lignans. These compounds are known to protect cells from oxidative stress and reduce inflammation, which may reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
In the new study, the team found that chlorogenic and caffeic acids also reduced the negative effects of chronic stress. The findings are based on an experiment in young mice.
During the tests, 47 animals were divided into four groups. Two of them were fed regular grains for 42 days, while the other two were fed a diet supplemented with 0.02% chlorogenic acid and 0.02% caffeic acid. In addition, two of the four groups were subjected to daily stress, which deprived them of soft bedding.
The results showed that the stressed mice gained less weight in the first days of life. However, those on the polyphenol-supplemented diet gained more weight during this period than those on the standard diet. By day 42, these differences in weight had disappeared.
Behavioral tests in adulthood confirmed that early life stress leads to cognitive deficits and a reduction in microglial cells in the hippocampus.
However, this was only true for mice fed a standard diet. Mice fed the polyphenol-supplemented diet did not experience these cognitive deficits or the reduction in microglial cells.
The study authors believe that coffee polyphenols protect mice from cognitive deficits by promoting the survival of microglial cells in the brain. The protective effects may also be due to other mechanisms related to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of chlorogenic and caffeic acids.
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