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Hot coffee is healthier than cold brew, a new research report shows.
Cold brew has grown in popularity in part because the drink is marketed as having lower acidity than its warm counterpart. Researchers at Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Penn., discovered, however, that the acidity in the two drinks is the same. In addition, hot coffee provides higher levels of antioxidants.
Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells against the effects of free radicals — molecules produced when your body breaks down food or is exposed to tobacco smoke and radiation, medical professionals say. Free radicals may play a role in heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.
“Coffee has a lot of antioxidants, and if you drink it in moderation, research shows it can be pretty good for you,” Megan Fuller, a Jefferson University chemist and study co-author, said in a university announcement. “We found the hot brew has more antioxidant capacity.”
In the study released Oct. 30 on the website Nature.com, researchers tested light-roast coffee from Ethiopia, Colombia, Myanmar, Mexico, and Brazil. Results indicated the pH levels of both cold and hot coffee were very similar.
Researchers referred to the rapid growth of cold brew sales and consumption and noted marketing claims positioning cold brew as an option to avoid gastrointestinal problems or heartburn triggered by acidity. The study looked at basic acidity and other related chemical differences and concluded the marketing claims were not valid.
Further, they noted there is no clear link between hot coffee and gastrointestinal problems or heartburn.
“This study suggests that the hot brew method tends to extract additional non-deprotonated acids in comparison to the cold brew method. These acids may be responsible for the higher antioxidant activities observed in hot brew coffee samples,” the authors wrote.in their paper. “Additionally, the chemical composition of hot brew coffee may be more diverse and complex than that of cold brew coffee. Additional research is needed to fully understand any possible differences in the health effects of coffee as a function of brewing temperature and time. The lower antioxidant capacity in cold brew coffees may decrease the chemoprotective benefits known to be associated with hot brew coffees.”
Learn more: www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-34392-w