The effect of coffee is not only due to caffeine

In April Nature Communications In a study published in the magazine, decaffeinated coffee also improved learning and memory.

Both regular and decaffeinated coffee modified the intestinal microbiome, which is known to have a connection with the brain.

According to researchers, coffee does not only affect us through caffeine, but also through intestinal microbes.

Coffee according to the study, the effects were visible in mood and some cognitive functions. In addition, coffee affected perceived stress, although the effect was barely visible in the stress hormone cortisol.

The study compared 31 regular coffee drinkers with 31 people who did not drink coffee at all.

Regular coffee drinkers had more specific strains of bacteria. When they took a break from drinking coffee for two weeks, some of their bacterial strains moved closer to non-coffee drinkers.

When they started drinking coffee again, some of the participants got decaffeinated coffee and some got caffeinated coffee. In both groups, perceived stress, depressive symptoms and impulsivity decreased.

Regular coffee seemed to support alertness, but decaffeinated coffee stood out in the memory results. Decaffeinated coffee also contributed to better sleep and physical activity.

Some of the bacterial and metabolic changes associated with coffee drinking were also restored in decaffeinated coffee drinkers.

Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee were associated with lower perceived stress, depressive symptoms and impulsivity in the study. Caffeinated coffee was also associated with less anxiety, better attention and alertness.

When both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee were reflected in mood, the effects cannot be explained by caffeine alone.

According to the researchers, there may also be other compounds involved, such as polyphenols, which affect the intestines.

Research does not prove that coffee directly improves mood or memory. There were few participants.

However, there seems to be a connection between coffee, gut microbes and the brain that researchers are trying to understand more.