Coffee alters your metabolism in more complex and surprising ways than simply jolting you awake, according to new research form the University .
In fact, a recent study on the effects of drinking coffee has found that coffee decreased levels of certain metabolites, substances in the bloodstream that change in response to the body’s metabolism, while cannabis increased the levels of the same metabolites.
The results, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, showed that coffee consumption affected 115 metabolites, some of which were already known, and some that represent new discoveries.
“These are entirely new pathways by which coffee might affect health,” said the study’s lead author Marilyn Cornelis, from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Now we want to delve deeper and study how these changes affect the body.”
These metabolites are related to the stress-regulating endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for regulating a wide-range of bodily functions.
The study was conducted over a 3 month period with 47 participants in Finland. For each month, the coffee consumption level was no coffee, 4 cups, and 8 cups respectively.
Blood samples were drawn after each month and analyzed for changes in metabolite composition.
The researchers found that the effects were especially apparent during the heaviest coffee consumption month. They reasoned that the findings could be the result of the body trying to reach an equilibrium after the coffee high.
David Martin
