Cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species is associated with a number of diseases. Therefore, many attempts have been made to identify dietary components with antioxidant properties. Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and a potential source of antioxidants.

Siegfried Knasmüller and colleagues, Medical University of Vienna, Austria, have investigated the antioxidant properties of an instant coffee enriched with chlorogenic acids (CAs). After five days of coffee consumption (four cups per day), the four main biomarkers selected as primary outcomes had decreased:

• 8-Isoprostaglandin F2α in urine declined by 15.3 %,
• 3-nitrotyrosine decreased by 16.1 %,
• DNA migration due to oxidized purines and pyrimidines was reduced in lymphocytes by 12.5 and 14.1 %.

Overall, the results indicated that, in healthy adults, consumption of CA-enriched instant coffee protects certain macromolecules against oxidative damage.

• Instant coffee with high chlorogenic acid levels protects humans against oxidative damage of macromolecules
  C. Hoelzl, S. Knasmüller, K.-H. Wagner, L. Elbling, W. Huber et al.,
  Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2010, 54.
  DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201000048
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