Adding this to your morning coffee can help you fight inflammation.

What could be better than sipping a cup of cappuccino in the morning? If your answer is "No!", you'll be surprised to know that this preliminary study on isolated cells suggests that a special combination of coffee and milk may have anti-inflammatory properties for the body.

Polyphenols, proteins and the immune system

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have investigated a phenomenon where polyphenols – compounds commonly found in plant foods (including coffee) that are known to have anti-inflammatory effects – bind to proteins in milk and enhance their anti-inflammatory effects.

To test this, the researchers artificially induced inflammation in immune cells, and then treated the cells with either polyphenol alone or polyphenol reacted with milk proteins.

Research shows that cells exposed to the polyphenol/milk protein combination have twice the anti-inflammatory effect. This means that starting your day with the combination of polyphenols found in coffee and proteins found in milk may help your body fight inflammation.

In fact, the researchers specifically tested coffee drinks with milk to see if this phenomenon occurred. 'Our results demonstrate that the reaction between polyphenols and proteins also occurs in some of the coffee drinks with milk we studied ,' explains study lead author Professor Marianne N. Lund, PhD.

Anti-inflammatory with polyphenols

But it's not just cappuccino that has this special combination of polyphenols and protein. " You can imagine the same thing happening, for example, in a meat dish with vegetables or a smoothie if you make sure to add some protein like milk or yogurt ," Lund adds.

This is just a preliminary study on individual cells, so the researchers plan to study this phenomenon in animals and then in humans to understand it on a more practical level.

" It's clear that this mixture could have beneficial effects on inflammation in humans," Lund explains . "We will continue to study it, initially in animals. Then we hope to get research funding that will allow us to study this effect in humans. "

We still have a long way to go before we know exactly how our morning coffee might benefit our immune system, but it's exciting to think that something as simple and enjoyable as enjoying a cappuccino could support our anti-inflammatory abilities.

In the meantime, you can focus on proven ways to fight inflammation right now, starting with consuming foods rich in polyphenols: There are more than 100 foods known to be rich in polyphenols, here are the most representative:

1. Clove
2. Star anise
3. Cocoa powder
4. Oregano
5. Celery seeds
6. Black raspberries
7. Dark chocolate
8. Flaxseed meal
9. Chestnut

Jessica Tanner

Update 21 November 2025