WE’D DOUBLE-TAP THAT
Bulletproofs and flat whites may no longer be hot on Insta, but adopting the latest coffee craze could give your longevity a buzz
Not every trend on Insta delivers on the “wellness” it promises. Here’s one we like
Viral food and drink trends usually turn out to be high in flavour and fat and low in pretty much everything else. The cronut and duffin (a doughnut muffin) may do plenty for your Instagram kudos, but they’ll do nothing for your health. The iced dalgona coffee, however, is both an artfully whipped brew designed to court double taps and, according to new research into the benefits of coffee, a delicious ally in reducing your risk of disease.
Previous studies have linked coffee with a raft of health benefits, including sharper memory, improved liver function and protection against dementia. But, so far, no one has identified precisely how those benefits are conferred. Recently, a team of Dutch scientists focused their research on epigenetic changes – that is, environmental influences on DNA – to ascertain if coffee was able to mitigate our risks of disease by altering “gene expression”. In other words, they wanted to know if coffee hits the off switch in genes associated with certain diseases and disorders.
After filtering out other possible factors that could influence results, their review of 15 studies concluded that compounds in coffee do lead to beneficial modifications, through a process called “DNA methylation”. Specifically, they noticed key epigenetic markers associated with a decreased risk of heart disease, man’s biggest killer.
So, if you want to drink to your long-term health, then give this trend the beans.