Roasted coffee is a type of coffee that has undergone processing at high temperatures to develop a characteristic strong aroma and flavor. For many years, coffee has often been mentioned for its effects of stimulating the central nervous system. However, recent scientific studies are expanding understanding of this familiar drink, especially its potential to support the control of type 2 diabetes.
Scientists have discovered that some compounds in roasted coffee have the ability to inhibit alpha glucosidase, an enzyme that plays a key role in breaking down carbohydrates into single sugars for absorption into the blood. When this enzyme is inhibited, the rate of post-eating hyperglycemia can be slowed down, thereby contributing to more effective blood sugar control.
New discovery about anti-diabetes compound in roasted coffee
According to a study published in 2025 in the scientific journal Beverage Plant Research, a research group from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has provided new evidence of the anti-diabetes biological activity of roasted coffee.
Dr. Minghua Qiu, the main researcher of the project, currently working at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that his team has built a three-step analysis process focused on biological activity. This process allows the detection of diterpene ester in roasted coffee beans, including compounds that only exist at very low levels.
The chemical structure of food is very complex, so accurately identifying which compounds bring health benefits is a major challenge. Our method helps shorten the analysis time and significantly reduce the amount of solvent used," Dr. Minghua Qiu shared.
From roasted coffee, the research team extracted the diterpene mixture and divided it into 19 different segments. Each segment was analyzed for chemical composition in parallel with assessing the ability to inhibit alpha glucosidase.
The results showed that, from the most active segments, the group isolated three completely new diterpene compounds, named caffaldehyde A, caffaldehyde B, and caffaldehyde C. These compounds demonstrated the ability to inhibit alpha glucosidase with high potency, even superior to some commonly used type 2 diabetes drugs.
How should coffee drinkers understand the research results?
According to scientists, all three caffaldehyde compounds have the ability to directly affect enzymes related to post-eating hyperglycemia. This shows that roasted coffee is not just a drink to help stay awake but also contains potential biological components beneficial for metabolic health.
However, Dr. Minghua Qiu also emphasized that the current results are mainly based on laboratory analysis. “In-depth research, including animal studies and clinical trials in humans, is needed before these compounds can be put into practical application in nutrition or treatment,” he noted.
This discovery opens up prospects for the development of functional foods or supplements derived from coffee, to support blood sugar control and manage type 2 diabetes. Not limited to coffee, this high-precision screening method can also be applied to many other complex food sources, helping to quickly detect compounds beneficial to human health.
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