Get the Most Antioxidants Out of Coffee

The next time you pour yourself a cup o’ Joe, you might want to switch up your choice of roast. According to a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, there is a correlation between the roasting level and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of coffee beans. Korean researchers used human cell models to test out different roasting levels corresponding to light, medium, city and French roasts of Coffea arabica green coffee extracts, and then compared the caffeine and chlorogenic acid levels of the different roasts. (Chlorogenic acid is the primary polyphenol in coffee.) They also compared the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the different coffee extracts. Researchers found that total caffeine levels between the roasts did not significantly differ; however, chlorogenic acid levels were higher in light roasted coffee extract than in the other roasted groups. That type also had the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. So when you’re brewing your next pot, consider using a lighter roast to reap all the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits that may help stave off chronic inflammatory disease.