A new study published in Nature Microbiology has found that drinking coffee may help increase levels of the beneficial gut bacteria Roseburia intestinalis, potentially improving gut health. This research highlights a direct connection between coffee consumption and gut microbiota composition—going beyond just a correlation.
To better understand how coffee impacts the gut microbiome, the research team analyzed the dietary and medical data of over 22,800 people in the U.S. and the U.K. and publicly available data from about 54,200 individuals worldwide.
The team analyzed over 22,000 shotgun metagenome samples, a method for detecting and measuring the abundance of microbial DNA in stool samples, from five ZOE PREDICT cohorts, the MBS study, and the MLVS study. They also assessed the participants’ nutritional habits using food frequency questionnaires from several studies, including PREDICT and MBS.
To break it down, participants were categorized into three groups based on their coffee consumption:
- Never-consumers (less than three cups per month),
- Moderate drinkers (those who consumed between 21 to 599 grams of coffee daily),
- Excessive drinkers (those who consumed more than 600 grams of coffee daily or more than three cups a day).
After eliminating extreme outliers (the top 1% of coffee drinkers), the final sample included 22,867 participants: 5,730 non-drinkers, 14,647 moderate drinkers, and 2,490 in the high-intake group.
The study also integrated publicly available data from stool samples across 211 cohorts, which resulted in 54,198 samples from several countries. Additionally, the research team included data on active genes from 364 stool samples and blood metabolites from 438 samples to explore how coffee affects the types and levels of gut bacteria.
Using a computer program to analyze these samples, the researchers compared gut microbiota differences between coffee drinkers and non-drinkers. The results were eye-opening: coffee drinkers had up to eight times more Roseburia intestinalis, a beneficial gut bacteria. This trend was observed across multiple countries, not just in the U.S. or U.K.
Specifically, the Excessive consumption group had 4.5 to 8 times higher levels of Roseburia intestinalis than the Never-consumer group, while the Moderate group showed 3.4 to 6.4 times higher levels. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in the effect of coffee on the gut microbiome between the Excessive consumption group and the Moderate group. This suggests that increasing coffee intake beyond a moderate level may not majorly affect gut bacteria. In other words, you don’t need to drink excessive amounts of coffee to see positive changes in your gut health.
The blood metabolite analysis also revealed that compounds like quinic acid and trigonelline were particularly prevalent in coffee drinkers. These compounds were found to be correlated with higher levels of Roseburia intestinalis.
While the exact health effects of Roseburia intestinalis are still not fully understood, researchers believe this bacteria may significantly affect how coffee consumption impacts the gut.
Experts suggest that Roseburia intestinalis could metabolize coffee’s polyphenols, such as quinic acid, into bioactive compounds. These metabolites and other compounds found in coffee—like chlorogenic acid and catechins (a type of flavonoid)—may influence gut health, reduce inflammation, and improve metabolic processes. This could, in turn, lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and contribute to a more diverse and balanced gut microbiome.
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