Many people are still hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine. As variants of the virus spread, numbers of new infections are going up around the country. If you are looking for ways to protect your health without getting a shot, boosting your immune system is always a good choice.
Having a robust immune system is essential all the time. New research from Northwestern Univ. found that drinking coffee may boost the immune system and prevent COVID-19 infections. Looking at the diet information of almost 38,000 people, scientists found that coffee drinkers were less likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19.
The researchers wrote that “habitual consumption of one or more cups of coffee per day was associated with about a 10 percent decrease in risk of COVID-19 compared to less than one cup per day.”
This doesn’t come as a complete shock; so many studies in the past have found that coffee has health benefits. Coffee is a rich source of polyphenols and antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory abilities. It also decreases the risk of pneumonia in older people. Their study also found that people who frequently ate vegetables were less likely to be infected with COVID-19. People who ate large amounts of processed meat had the highest risk, according to their research.
In addition to lowering the risk of infection, drinking coffee is linked to the better biomarkers for lower “COVID-19 severity and mortality,” the researchers wrote. “Taken together, an immunoprotective effect of coffee against COVID-19 is plausible and merits further investigation.”
Their research doesn’t mean that coffee can be used in place of other precautions. Depending on where you live, there may still be rules that require folks who aren’t vaccinated to wear masks. While there are some drawbacks to vaccines, they are still the best option if you are not immunosuppressed. But, this appears to be another good way to boost your immune system.
“Although these findings warrant independent confirmation, adherence to certain dietary behaviors may be an additional tool to existing COVID-19 protection guidelines to limit the spread of this virus,” the researchers wrote.
If you are already a coffee drinker, this research might put a hop in your step. If you don’t regularly drink coffee, this might have you rethinking it. It also gives us yet another health reason to cut back on processed meat. We know that there are many health reasons to give up processed meats. Reading that such a large study found it taking a significant toll on the immune system gives us another push.
