On average, everyone drinks three cups of coffee a day. As a new study has found, the caffeine it contains is not only a good pick-me-up, it can also help fight infections.
Promising study: Caffeine may help fight infections
It was already known from previous studies that caffeine has anti-inflammatory properties. The substance stimulates what is known as phagocytosis, a process in which cells absorb small food particles. This is an important part of our immune system: the scavenger cells, also called macrophages, “eat” pathogens that the immune system recognizes as foreign. The Brazilian research team focused on precisely these scavenger cells.
The researchers tested the effect of caffeine in cell cultures with mouse macrophages. To do this, some of the scavenger cells were first exposed to caffeine for one day and then to salmonella for four hours. The other part was the other way around, the scavenger cells first came into contact with the bacteria for four hours and then with caffeine for 24 hours.
The researchers found that after treatment with caffeine, the scavenger cells had a higher viability and the bacterial load in the cells decreased. The treatment of living mice also showed success. After a targeted infection in the peritoneal cavity, they were given intravenous caffeine. In contrast, two control groups received only a buffer solution or another anti-inflammatory agent.
Anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious: caffeine is so healthy
In the mice that had been given caffeine, the penetration of white blood cells into the inflamed area was significantly reduced. These so-called leukocytes fight pathogens in our body. At the same time, the bacterial load in the abdominal cavity of the mice as well as in the bloodstream, liver and spleen was lower, as the scientists report.
“We can conclude that caffeine has both anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties that may be useful in treating bacterial infections along with antibiotics,” the study concludes. However, before a correct treatment method can be developed from this, further investigations are needed. The researchers now want to test the approach in follow-up studies on humans.
