Coffee's Antioxidant Benefits Traced To Roasting Process, Not Caffeine

Love to Eat| University of British Columbia food scientists believe they now understand the complex chemistry behind coffee’s antioxidant benefits. The answer is not related to the caffeine in coffee but to the roasting process, says lead author Yazheng Liu and co-author Prof. David Kitts.

Anti-oxidants are produced in the roasting process, due to the ‘Maillard reaction.’  Liu’s team studied dark roast coffee. In the ongoing debate about which is healthier — dark roast or medium roast coffee — this study affirms dark roast as a higher source of antioxidant benefits due to longer roasting.

Given the popularity of dark roast coffee and espresso in the Mediterranean diet, the findings make sense.

Coffee is the top source of antioxidants in the American diet. It remains unclear if the body absorbs the antioxidants in an efficient way. via Science Daily