Coffee drinking linked to lower risk of COVID-19 infection

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Researchers from a Chicago medical school linked regular coffee consumption to a lower risk of contracting Covid-19.
• The study found people who drink at least one cup of coffee a day had a 10 percent lower risk of getting infected with COVID-19 than non-coffee drinkers.
• Coffee contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Regular coffee drinking of at least one cup daily was linked to a lower risk of COVID-19 infection, according to a recent study.

Researchers with Northwestern University published findings in the Nutrients journal, stemming from an analysis of nearly 40,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank.

The team studied participants’ dietary habits from 2006 to 2010 and hypothesized the subsequent risk of coronavirus infection in 2020. Researchers specifically looked at participants’ consumption of coffee, tea, processed meat, red meat, fruit, vegetables, and oily fish.

After adjusting for factors like race, age, sex, and other factors like physical activity, BMI level, and history of certain medical conditions, researchers found “habitual consumption of 1 or more cups of coffee per day was associated with about a 10% decrease in risk of COVID-19 compared to less than 1 cup/day.”

“The odds of COVID-19 positivity were 0.90, 0.90, and 0.92 when consuming 1 cup, 2–3 cups, and 4+ cups of coffee/day (vs. <1 cup/day), respectively,” the study reads.

Coffee contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and “coffee consumption favorably correlates with inflammatory biomarkers” linked to “COVID-19 severity and mortality,” study authors wrote. “Taken together, an immunoprotective effect of coffee against COVID-19 is plausible and merits further investigation.”

Further findings suggested daily consumption of at least 0.67 servings of vegetables reduced the risk of coronavirus infection, but processed meat (like sausage and ham) was associated with a heightened risk, which researchers suspect owes in part to other dietary factors instead of meat consumption itself, as red meat consumption posed no risk.

“Although these findings warrant independent confirmation, adherence to certain dietary behaviors may be an additional tool to existing COVID-19 protection guidelines to limit the spread of this virus,” authors wrote.

Source: Yahoo! News