Science has shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has many health benefits. In several plant foods, one source of those benefits is caffeic acid. This polyphenol is most famously found in coffee and is the primary reason that moderate coffee drinking is a healthy habit.
Although their names are similar, caffeic acid has no relationship to caffeine and can be found in many foods beyond a cup coffee. We’ll look at why and how caffeic acid improves your health, including your bone health, and then learn which foods contain the most of it.
What is Caffeic Acid?
Caffeic acid is a polyphenol, a class of micronutrients found in plant foods. More specifically, caffeic acid is part of a group of polyphenols called hydroxycinnamic acids. These compounds are valued for antioxidant properties that confer numerous health benefits.
Antioxidants prevent oxidative stress in the body, which can reduce inflammation, protect cells from damage, improve bone health, and reduce the risk of many ailments including cancer and dementia.1,2 Caffeic acid is found in many plant foods and is likely already a part of your diet.
Synopsis
Caffeic acid is a polyphenol and an antioxidant found in coffee and other plant foods.
The Bone Health Benefits Of Caffeic Acid
Antioxidants protect your bones from oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress results when free radicals, or reactive oxygen species (ROS), outnumber the antioxidants that would disarm them by giving them a spare electron to stabilize their molecular structure.
Oxidative stress occurs in tissues, including bone tissue, when ROS strip a molecule of an electron. ROS cause significant oxidative damage to your bone cells. They increase bone resorption and greatly hamper osteoblast activity.3
As an antioxidant, caffeic acid stabilizes ROS and prevents them from causing bone loss.
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Furthermore, studies found caffeic acid to be anti inflammatory.4 Inflammation, and especially chronic inflammation, increases fracture risk and reduces bone health.5
Caffeic acid is an all natural way to reduce inflammation while increasing antioxidants, a powerful two-pronged approach to reversing osteoporosis.
Synopsis
Caffeic acid both reduces bone-harming inflammation and protects your bones from the oxidative damage caused by free radicals.
Caffeic Acid And Your Overall Health
Both of the bone-protective qualities of caffeic acid have positive implications for the rest of your body systems. ROS damage cells all across the body, so increasing antioxidant levels protects all of your body tissues. Here are some other benefits of caffeic acid:
Diabetes Prevention
Research in diabetic mice has shown that caffeic acid lowers blood glucose levels, fights inflammation, and raises blood insulin levels.6
Heart Disease
Caffeic acid reduces the risk of a blood clots and lowers triglycerides, both of which are associated with heart disease.6
Cancer
Studies on the impact of caffeic acid found it has anticancer properties on specific kinds of cancer, including oral cancer1, colon cancer7, and breast cancer.8
Anti-Aging
A study on caffeic acid derived from garlic found it reduces UVB-induced wrinkle formation when topically applied to hairless mice.9
Synopsis
Caffeic acid benefits your overall health by preventing diabetes and heart disease and fighting cancer and aging.
How To Consume Caffeic Acid Without Drinking Coffee
The benefits detailed above are part of why coffee is is a healthy beverage. However, it is acidifying and should be enjoyed in moderation. The caffeine in regular coffee is also a strain on your system. While decaffeinated coffee removes that problem, it is still acidifying. So moderation is key for coffee consumption.
Fortunately, many other natural food sources of caffeic acid will confer to you its numerous health benefits.
- Turmeric
- Cinnamon
- Star Anise
- Thyme
- Sage
- Basil
- Nutmeg
- Sunflower Seeds*
- Wine
- Beer
- Cabbage*
- Apples*
- Strawberries*
- Radishes
- Mushrooms*
- Pears*
- Kale*
- Olive Oil
- Cauliflower*
- Cucumber*
* Denotes a Foundation Food
Synopsis
There are numerous natural plant food sources of caffeic acid, ranging from spices such as turmeric to vegetables and fruits and seeds, including mushrooms, cabbage, strawberries, pears, and sunflower seeds.
Take The Best, Leave The Rest
The pH-balanced diet recommended by the Save Institute is naturally rich in the fruits and vegetables that contain caffeic acid. A cup of coffee or decaf can give your body an extra boost of this powerful polyphenol.
With every bite, savor the knowledge that when you eat foods that contain caffeic acid, you are protecting your bones and your whole body.
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References
1 Yean-Jang Lee, et al. “Preferential cytotoxicity of caffeic acid phenethyl ester analogues on oral cancer cells.” Cancer Letters. Volume 153, Issues 1–2, 29 May 2000, Pages 51-56. Web. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438350000389X
2 Maher, P. “Modulation of multiple pathways involved in the maintenance of neuronal function during aging by fisetin.” Genes Nutr. 2009 Sep 10.
3 Rao, L.G.; Kang, N., and Rao, A.V. “Polyphenol Antioxidants and Bone Health: A Review.” Phytochemicals – A Global Perspective of Their Role in Nutrition and Health. Dr. Venketeshwer Rao (Ed.): ISBN: 978-953-51-0296-0. InTech. PDF. https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/32957.pdf
4 K Natarajan, et al. “Caffeic acid phenethyl ester is a potent and specific inhibitor of activation of nuclear transcription factor NF-kappa B.” PNAS August 20, 1996 93 (17) 9090-9095. Web: https://www.pnas.org/content/93/17/9090.short
5 Shinya Ishii, et al. “C-Reactive Protein, Bone Strength, and Nine-Year Fracture Risk: Data From the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (S” J Bone Miner Res. 2013 Jul; 28(7): 10.1002/jbmr.1915. WAN). Web: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880424/
6 Pei-chun Chao, et al. “Anti-inflammatory and anti-coagulatory activities of caffeic acid and ellagic acid in cardiac tissue of diabetic mice” Nutrition & Metabolism 2009 6:33. Web. https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-6-33
7 En-Pei Isabel Chiang, et al. “Caffeic Acid Derivatives Inhibit the Growth of Colon Cancer: Involvement of the PI3-K/Akt and AMPK Signaling Pathways.” PLoS One. 2014; 9(6): e99631. Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4069067/
8 Masahiko Watabe, et al. “Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester Induces Apoptosis by Inhibition of NFκB and Activation of Fas in Human Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cells.” Journal of Biological Chemistry. November 18, 2003. 279, 6017-6026. Web. https://www.jbc.org/content/279/7/6017.short
9 So Ra Kim, et al. Anti-Wrinkle and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Active Garlic Components and the Inhibition of MMPs via NF-κB Signaling.” PLoS One. 2013; 8(9): e73877. Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3774756/
Thank you for the informative article on caffeic acid. There was no mention of the polyphenols in blueberries. It seems this would be a number one source! Any comments?
Pls give example of an alkalising snack0
Pls
Hello Vivian,
I truly appreciates this valuable information regarding
caffeic acid.
Thank you very much .
Marlene
As always, you’re welcome, Marlene! We so appreciate you in the Saver community!
Good to know that one doesn’t have to drink coffee in order to receive the coffee benefits.
Yes, caffeic acid is present in many other foods, as explained in today’s article. But bear in mind that coffee contains other bone-healthy polyphenols as well, so if you like coffee, by all means feel free to drink it (in moderation) and with an alkalizing snack or meal.
This article gives you a more detailed explanation and tips on how to drink coffee while on a pH-balanced diet:
https://saveourbones.com/drink-this-not-that-for-better-bone-health/
Vivian, thank you for all the information you provide. I first found out about your website in April 2012 when a fellow biophosphanate user (we have been former users for many years now) referred me to you. I’ve been meaning to express my thanks. Based on your recommendations, I changed my diet to 80/20, reduced red meat intake, substituted steamed fish and vegetables whenever possible, bought your exercise program, and began walking several miles a day. Three years ago my GP said he wanted to ask me a “personal” question based on the results of my annual blood test: was I a vegetarian. I told him I am not a vegetarian nor am I a vegan. I follow a plant-based diet as much as possible, use little added fats and oils, do not use refined sugar, little to no salt, and walk outside as much as possible. He was very pleased with my “numbers”. Vivian, I have you to thank for it. Because I’m the chef-ess at home, my husband’s diet reflects mine. His “numbers” are equally great. Yes, it took years to get to this point but it was well worth it. One of the few regrets I have in my life is that I was persuaded by my Gyn to take biophosphanates. It changed my body and my life in so many ways, none of which were good for me. I’m still dealing with the side-effects. Please keep up your great work. There are many of us who need you and your recommendations to better our lives.
Thanks for sharing with us your inspirational story on how you and your husband improved your scan results! Stay strong and healthy!
Thank you, Ita.
You’re very welcome!
I only drink Organic Dark Roast and use about 2 TBS of Italian or French roast beans and then pour over the water (10 or 12oz)to prevent plastics in K cups or coffee makers with a pinch of cinnamon on the beans. I only drink it black. You recommend to follow it with an almond milk or lemon water to make it less acidic in my system. Do you have a better recommendation?
Kathy, an effective way to balance your pH when you drink coffee is to have an alkalizing snack with it.