Coffee may do more than boost energy.
New research suggests that certain compounds found in roasted coffee beans could help slow how quickly sugar enters the bloodstream, a finding that could one day support new foods aimed at managing Type 2 diabetes.
Scientists have identified three previously unknown compounds in roasted coffee that strongly block α-glucosidase, an enzyme that helps the body break down carbohydrates during digestion.
That enzyme plays a key role in how fast sugar enters the blood. Slowing it down can help prevent spikes in blood sugar.
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The research was led by Minghua Qiu at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and published in the journal Beverage Plant Research.
The findings add to the growing evidence that coffee may offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition (and taste).
Finding helpful compounds in foods is challenging because they contain thousands of interlinked chemicals.
To tackle this, the research team used advanced lab tools, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), to carefully analyze roasted Coffea arabica beans.
Using a three-step screening process, the scientists narrowed down the most chemically active portions of the coffee extract.
After further testing and purification, they isolated three new compounds, which they named caffaldehydes A, B, and C.
All three compounds strongly blocked α-glucosidase. Their effectiveness, which was measured by IC₅₀ values, ranged from 45.07 to 17.50 micromoles, making them more potent than acarbose, a drug commonly used to treat diabetes. (The lower the IC₅₀ value, the greater the potency.)
The team then used additional mass spectrometry tools to search for harder-to-detect substances. That analysis uncovered three more previously unknown compounds.
Together, the results show that the researchers’ method can uncover meaningful health-related compounds in complex foods like coffee.
The findings suggest that coffee-based ingredients could one day be developed to help support blood sugar control. Researchers say future studies will test whether these compounds are safe and effective in living organisms.