New Clues on Caffeine’s Health Benefits

Study Suggests Antioxidants in Caffeine Play a Role in Coffee’s Impact on Health

By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

May 6, 2011 -- Caffeine's jolt may do more than just keep you awake. A new study supports the health benefits of coffee by showing how the antioxidants in caffeine fight damage-causing free radicals.

Researchers say their experiments explain the chemistry of how the antioxidants in caffeine seek out and destroy free radicals associated with Alzheimer's and heart disease.

Free radicals are molecules in the body that attack healthy cells and cause damage that can lead to disease. The health benefits of antioxidants are largely due to their effects in protecting against damage from these free radicals.

Recent studies have shown that coffee is one of the richest sources of antioxidants in the average person's diet. But little is known about how these antioxidants, including caffeine, work against free radicals.

(More here.)