Scientists have been trying to investigate the effects of coffee on our health for decades. Both negative and positive. One of their latest findings is a molecule present in coffee as its protagonist and its possible role in our aging.
Trigonelline. An international team of researchers discovered A molecule present in coffee, trigonelline, is a link between the cellular aging process that causes sarcopenia.
Sarcopenia It is an age-related disease that gradually weakens our skeletal muscles, causing them to lose mass and thus our motor skills.
The team responsible for the study, led by researchers from food multinational Nestlé and the National University of Singapore’s laboratories, observed that people with sarcopenia had lower levels of this molecule.
Coffee and fenugreek. trigonelline It contains an alkaloid known as coffee and plant fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) This plant is used as a spice or sprout in some places.
This alkali is a compound Associated with vitamin B3, also called niacin. At high temperatures (such as those reached during coffee roasting) this molecule breaks down Gives birth to vitamins.
Precursor of NAD+. New research has now linked the molecule to another compound, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD+. Levels of this compound are usually decreased in people with sarcopenia. According to the team Responsible for the work, the decreased presence of this molecule is associated with the loss of the mitochondria’s ability to convert the energy needed for cell activity.
New research suggests so trigonelline as a precursor of NAD+, thus mediating its association with the presence of sarcopenia. Research details was published in the magazine Nature is metabolic.
How to prevent sarcopenia. The findings don’t mean we should drink coffee to stay young, but it could open the door to new therapeutic mechanisms against sarcopenia. Treatment based on trigonelline and its effect on NAD+ protein levels.
Adequate nutrition and physical activity are the two keys we know to keep our muscles healthy as we age, explains the team themselves.
However, research can help us better understand the various biochemical interactions between NAD+ levels and its potential precursors (including some forms of vitamin B3).
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Picture | Shevanon Photography / sabinevanerp