While many say they cannot do without a coffee in the morning, others insist on accompanying the black and bitter liquid with a hint of hot milk, or even drowning it in a milky ocean.
As greedy as it is for these amateurs, is the beverage beneficial for the body?
From the cloud to the "hazelnut" through the consequent
latte
, is there a risk of diluting the drink too much and erasing the booster effect of the caffeine?
Is it reasonable from a digestive point of view?
A few answers.
In video, is coffee good for health?
No known effects on caffeine
Consumed alone, the "little black" is full of known and well-documented benefits.
As Astrid Nehlig, research director emeritus at the National Institute for Medical Research (Inserm) and specialist in the effects of coffee on health, reports, the drink contains the famous caffeine, a molecule with stimulating and protective properties against cognitive decline. .
There are also valuable antioxidants, polyphenols.
"These have a hypotensive effect for the heart, also protect cells from aging, limit DNA breakage and reduce tissue inflammation," says Astrid Nehlig.
Read alsoTo live longer, should we drink at least two cups of coffee a day?
And what happens when you add milk to it?
No study to date indicates potential deleterious effects on caffeine, confirms the specialist.
According to her, it is the initial dosage of coffee that will play on the caffeine-boosting effect, not the milk.
And with or without, care must be taken in any case to respect the recommended doses.
Too much caffeine can lead to nervousness, sleep disturbances and cardiovascular problems.
According to the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), a healthy adult should not exceed a threshold of 400 mg throughout the day (200 mg for pregnant women), i.e. the equivalent of four to five cups of filter coffee during the day.
A better anti-inflammatory effect?
The interaction of milk with the antioxidant properties of coffee is still the subject of scientific debate.
Recently, work from the University of Copenhagen, published on January 30, 2023 in the scientific journal
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
, argues that coffee with milk would have better anti-inflammatory effects than a simple "little black ".
After carrying out an in vitro study, the researchers found that the antioxidant power of coffee polyphenols was doubly effective when combined with the amino acids contained in milk.
According to Astrid Nehlig, who was able to consult the study, this hypothesis remains to be confirmed since it has not been studied, either on animals or on humans.
On the other hand, the specialist sees a link with previous promising work.
Those of the Swiss Nestlé Research Center, published in February 2010. “Researchers were interested in the composition of blood plasma after ingesting different coffee recipes and it appeared that the addition of whole milk did not alter the bioavailability of coffee polyphenols,” she reports.
Satisfying but not always digestible
After having swallowed his hazelnut coffee or his
latte
, one can feel the hunger fly away.
Nothing could be more normal since milk contains proteins with a satiating effect, underlines Catherine Lacrosnière, nutritionist doctor and author of
Anti-inflammatory food - Naturally healthy
(1).
Only for other people, this feeling of satiety is accompanied by digestive discomfort, bloating, nausea, or even an accelerated transit.
For the nutritionist, these inconveniences would indicate lactose intolerance.
“This sugar in milk is normally absorbed in the small intestine by an enzyme called lactase.
However, the latter gradually decreases with age and if you stop consuming milk, it disappears.
Lactose is then no longer digested so easily”, specifies Dr Catherine Lacrosnière.
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Coffee, by stimulating the movements of the colon, is often accused of causing this digestive discomfort.
But we forget its beneficial action on digestion.
The doctor explains: “Thanks to the insoluble fibers it contains, coffee improves the quality of the intestinal microbiota.
It improves biliary and pancreatic secretions, which promotes better digestion of macronutrients (lipids, proteins and carbohydrates)”.
An alternative to table sugar but to be consumed in moderation
For those who consume milk in adulthood, like the Nordic populations, and who do not feel the digestive discomfort, the liquid can even be an asset, notes the doctor.
According to the specialist, the sweetness of lactose provides a healthier alternative to table sugar and sweeteners.
Specialists, however, recommend moderation among heavy milk drinkers.
“Scientific research goes in the direction of food variety, explained to us Dr. Marie-Caroline Michalski, INRAE research director and specialist in dairy lipids in a previous article.
Studies suggest consuming an average of 2 servings of dairy products per day for adults (3 to 4 for children and seniors), for example a glass of milk but also a yoghurt or a piece of cheese, rich in ferments and calcium."
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