Coffee for autophagy! · Mind and Body Solutions

Dr. Serge Gregoire

11d • Diet/Food

Coffee for autophagy!

Autophagy is the process your body uses to break down and recycle old cellular components.

Fasting is a well-known way to stimulate it.

Maybe the most well-known...

But research has found that coffee can also trigger autophagy.

1. Coffee is strongly associated with liver health

This is probably the area where the evidence for coffee is most consistently impressive.

An umbrella review found coffee consumption associated with approximately:

29% lower risk of NAFLD

27% lower risk of liver fibrosis

39% lower risk of cirrhosis

The authors noted that the beneficial associations for liver outcomes were among the strongest and most consistent in the coffee literature.

A separate meta-analysis of prospective studies found that compared with little or no coffee, high coffee consumption was associated with approximately 50% lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer). Each additional cup per day was associated with about a 15% lower relative risk.

That does not mean coffee treats liver cancer, but the epidemiological association is remarkably consistent.

2. Lower risk of type 2 diabetes

This is another strong association.

A meta-analysis involving more than 1.18 million people found that people in the highest coffee-consumption category—median about five cups/day—had approximately 29% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those in the lowest category.

Each additional cup per day was associated with approximately a 6% lower relative risk. Interestingly, the relationship was found with both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.

That's an important clue: coffee's benefits cannot be explained solely by caffeine.

Chlorogenic acids and other compounds may influence glucose metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin signaling.

3. Cardiovascular health

Coffee used to have a reputation for being bad for the heart, but large observational datasets have changed that picture considerably.

The major BMJ umbrella review found that roughly 3 cups/day was associated with approximately:

19% lower cardiovascular mortality

16% lower coronary-heart-disease mortality

30% lower stroke mortality

Moderate consumption was also associated with lower incidence of cardiovascular disease.

Again, these are associations, not proof that prescribing three cups of coffee prevents cardiovascular disease.

There is also an important caveat: unfiltered coffee—such as French press, boiled coffee and some preparations of espresso—contains more cafestol and kahweol, which can increase LDL cholesterol. Paper filtering removes much of these diterpenes.

4. Lower overall mortality

One of the most interesting observations is that coffee drinkers tend to have lower all-cause mortality.

Across multiple meta-analyses, the lowest relative mortality was generally observed around 3–4 cups per day.

The BMJ umbrella review found approximately a 17% lower relative risk of all-cause mortality around three cups/day compared with no coffee.

This doesn't mean coffee extends everyone's life by 17%. It means that, across these populations, coffee consumption was associated with a lower probability of dying during the study period.

5. Brain and neurological health

Coffee consumption has also been associated with lower risks of certain neurological conditions, particularly Parkinson's disease.

The umbrella review found beneficial associations with:

Parkinson's disease

Alzheimer's disease

Depression

The evidence isn't equally strong for all three, and caffeine itself may explain more of the Parkinson's association than some of coffee's other benefits.

There is also a very immediate neurological effect that is well established:

Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors.

Adenosine normally contributes to sleep pressure and reduced neural activity. Blocking its receptors temporarily increases alertness and reduces perceived fatigue.

That's why coffee can improve:

alertness → attention → reaction time → perceived energy → exercise performance

6. Coffee provides significant dietary antioxidants/polyphenols

Coffee contains substantial amounts of chlorogenic acids and other phenolic compounds.

An important conceptual correction is that we shouldn't think of antioxidants simply as molecules that travel around the body "neutralizing free radicals." Many plant compounds exert their effects through cell signaling, gene expression, enzyme regulation and endogenous antioxidant-defense pathways.

Coffee therefore acts more like a complex phytochemical mixture than a caffeine delivery system.

7. There may be gut-microbiome effects

This is an emerging area that I think is particularly interesting from a functional-medicine perspective.

Coffee contains compounds that aren't completely absorbed in the small intestine. Some reach the colon, where intestinal microorganisms metabolize them.

Coffee and its polyphenols may therefore influence:

microbial composition → microbial metabolites → intestinal physiology → systemic metabolism

2 comments

Coffee for autophagy!