When you add a little milk to your morning coffee, you’re probably mainly thinking about sweetening its taste. However, this simple mixture also interests scientists. Because in your cup you will find the caffeine and polyphenols from coffee, but also the proteins from milk. An association that could have interesting effects on the body, contrary to popular belief. .
Against all expectations, an anti-inflammatory action?
In 2023, researchers from the University of Copenhagen were interested in precisely this combination. Their work, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistrysuggest that the association between coffee polyphenols and certain amino acids present in proteins could reinforce the anti-inflammatory action of these compounds.
Be careful, however: these results were obtained in the laboratory, on cells, and not in people who drank a latte. They therefore do not yet allow us to confirm that your daily cup has a real anti-inflammatory effect. But they shed some interesting light on what might happen when coffee and milk meet.
Coffee and milk: what happens in the cup?
Coffee naturally contains many
polyphenolsnotably chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. These molecules are known for their antioxidant properties and their ability to act on certain mechanisms involved in inflammation.
Milk, for its part, provides proteins, notably casein, made up of amino acids. However, researchers at the University of Copenhagen observed that when certain polyphenols bind to amino acids, their anti-inflammatory effect could be greater than when they were present alone.
In their experiments, carried out on immune cells called macrophages, the complexes formed between polyphenols and amino acids showed an anti-inflammatory activity that could be up to twice greater than that observed with polyphenols alone.
Does this mean that a latte is twice as anti-inflammatory as a black coffee? No. This is precisely where we must remain cautious. The researchers did not study the effect of a latte consumed by volunteers. They worked in the laboratory with isolated compounds. It is therefore impossible, at this stage, to directly transpose these results to our breakfast.
Milk therefore does not necessarily cancel out the benefits of coffee
This study nevertheless brings an interesting nuance to a very widespread misconception: that according to which adding milk to coffee systematically prevents the body from benefiting from its antioxidants.
And on this point, our dietician-nutritionist Claire Trommenschlager already wanted to be reassuring in our pages. For her, there is no serious medical reason to consider the coffee-milk association problematic. Whether for digestion or inflammation.
“Personally, I don’t think there is a problem with this association at all. It’s true that we hear it said a lot, but for me, it’s an unfounded rumor, another preconceived idea in nutrition”she assures.
In short, coffee and milk do not form a toxic combination in the body. If you enjoy your coffee with a splash of milk and you digest it well, there is no reason to deprive yourself of it simply for fear of “spoiling” the effects of coffee.
Coffee with milk: the real problem may be lactose
If some people don’t tolerate their latte well, the explanation is more to be found in the side of milk itself than the association with coffee.
Cow’s milk contains lactose, a sugar that requires an enzyme called lactase to be properly digested. However, the production of this enzyme naturally decreases in many adults. In people who produce insufficiently, lactose can cause bloating, abdominal pain or even diarrhea.
Coffee can also naturally stimulate intestinal transit. In certain sensitive people, the combination can therefore be particularly stimulating for the digestive system.
“Café au lait is just bad, in quotes, if you are lactose intolerant. In this case, you can definitely use a lactose-free milk, or a vegetable drink instead of classic milk if you want to keep the creaminess of a café au lait”advises our expert.
In other words, if your latte gives you a stomach ache, it’s not necessarily the coffee + milk mixture that is to blame. It may simply be poor lactose tolerance.
And with a plant-based drink?
Soy, oat or almond milk: there are many plant-based alternatives today. But can we attribute to them the same effects as those observed with cow’s milk proteins?
At the moment, it is impossible to say for sure. The protein and amino acid composition varies greatly from one drink to another. The researchers therefore believe that additional work will be needed to determine whether similar effects can be observed with these alternatives.
You should also keep in mind that not all plant-based drinks are nutritionally equal. Some are enriched with calcium and vitamins, while others contain more carbohydrates or added sugars. For daily consumption, it is therefore better to favor a version
without added sugarsdepending on their needs and eating habits.
So, should you continue to drink your latte?
Yes, if you like it and digest it well. The results of the Danish study are interesting, but they do not yet make it possible to transform coffee with milk into an “anti-inflammatory drink”. They simply suggest that the association between coffee polyphenols and milk proteins may be more complex than previously thought.
However, one thing is much clearer: there is no reason to remove milk from your coffee for fear that the two foods will turn bad once mixed. For people sensitive to lactose, a lactose-free milk or a plant-based drink can simply allow you to maintain the pleasure of a smooth coffee without the digestive discomfort.
Sources
- Marmiton