Mechanisms of action of coffee bioactive compounds – a key to unveil the coffee paradox

Abstract

The knowledge of the relationship between the chemical structure of food components with their mechanisms of action is crucial for the understanding of diet health benefits. This review relates the chemical variability present in coffee beverages with the mechanisms involved in key physiological events, supporting coffee as a polyvalent functional food. Coffee intake has been related with several health-promoting properties such as neuroprotective (caffeine, chlorogenic acids and melanoidins), anti-inflammatory (caffeine, chlorogenic acids, melanoidins, diterpenes), microbiota modulation (polysaccharides, melanoidins, chlorogenic acids), immunostimulatory (polysaccharides), antidiabetic (trigonelline, chlorogenic acids), antihypertensive (chlorogenic acids) and hypocholesterolemic (polysaccharides, chlorogenic acids, lipids). Nevertheless, caffeine and diterpenes are coffee components with ambivalent effects on health. Additionally, a large range of potentially harmful compounds, including acrylamide, hydroxymethylfurfural, furan, and advanced glycation end products, are formed during the roasting of coffee and are present in the beverages. However, coffee beverages are part of the daily human dietary healthy habits, configuring a coffee paradox.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The multi-targeted bioactive features of coffee compounds reinforce coffee as a functional food beverage.

• Polysaccharides and melanoidins positively modulate gut microbiota.

• Caffeine and phenolics are neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antihypertensive.

• The balance between potential health and harmful compounds configures a coffee paradox.

• Harmful compounds are present in trace levels in coffee, not conferring toxicity.

Graphical abstract

Keywords:

• Coffee brew
• health benefits
• structure-function relationships
• Maillard reaction products
• melanoidins
• polysaccharides
• chlorogenic acids
• caffeine
• trigonelline
• lipids
• diterpenes

Author contributions

Fernanda Machado was responsible for the writing and editing the original draft. Filipe Coreta-Gomes and Manuel A. Coimbra were responsible for conceptualization, supervision, formal analysis, writing, reviewing, editing and funding acquisition. Dolores del Castillo was responsible for reviewing the manuscript and supervision. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)/MCTES, namely the support to the research units LAQV-REQUIMTE (UIDB/50006/2020) including Filipe Coreta-Gomes research contract funding, and also supported by the project PTDC/QUI-OUT/29373/2017, through national funds (OE) and where applicable co-financed by the FEDER, by the Operational Program of Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. This research was also funded by the project PID2019-111510RB-I00. Fernanda Machado acknowledges the FCT PhD fellowship 2020.06768.BD support.