Coffee could protect against Corona

Coffee can protect against corona infection. Scientists at Jacobs University Bremen believe it is at least likely.

Bremen – Would you like a cup of coffee more? Because coffee drinkers could certainly be better protected against Corona than others. This has not yet been proven in practice. But from a chemical and biochemical point of view, researchers at Jacobs University in Bremen believe it is “plausible and even probable”.

Behind the research is Prof. Dr. Nikolai Kuhnert. With his team, he shows that a chemical compound in coffee inhibits the interaction between the spike protein of the corona virus and the ACE-2 receptor of the human cell. And that is exactly what could possibly prevent virus infection.

Coffee and Corona: research also in Shanghai

This thesis does not seem so far-fetched. Because scientists in Shanghai made a similar discovery while researching a medicine for Covid-19, the Institute for Prevention and Nutrition (Ismaning) reported it some time ago. Researchers have discovered special type 2 taste receptors, which in turn may play an important role in human defense mechanisms. According to information, these receptors can be activated by a number of bitter substances, including substances contained in coffee. However, a distinction must be made between coffee and caffeine, he said.

Jacobs University Bremen: Further studies are needed

Back to Bremen: Chemists Kuhnert, Dorothea Schmidt and Nicholas Ohl from the private Jacobs University have shown in the laboratory that the chemical compound 5-caffeoylquinic acid (simplified chlorogenic acid), present in coffee, the interaction between the Sars- Cov-2 – Inhibits corona virus protein and virus anchor on human cell. A cup of filter coffee is enough to prevent docking and thus the infection process. But beware: “Further studies are needed to prove this process in practice and therefore in our daily lives,” the university said citing the scientists. “As chemists, we cannot practically answer whether drinking coffee could really serve as a preventive measure to protect against infection. But we can say: it is plausible,” says Kuhnert. Epidemiological studies can be used to find out if coffee drinkers are less likely to be infected.