Can Coffee Prevent COVID/Restore Sense of Smell? It's Not a Miracle Cure!

These days, it seems like everyone is either at home nursing a sore throat or out working through the pandemic with a daily bit of throat discomfort. (Drink more honey water.)

While scrolling through various virus-prevention tips, some friends came across a study published by Northwestern University in the journal "Nutrients" suggesting that coffee may help prevent COVID-19. Soon enough, every health drink in their thermoses had been swapped out for coffee. Before long, though, they too joined the ranks of the sore-throated... and then forwarded the article to our content writer, along with a complaint.

So the writer pulled up the full publication: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/6/2114

Research Details

In this analysis, researchers included subjects whose test results fell between March 16 and November 30, 2020, running 74,878 tests on 42,699 UKB participants. Subjects lacking baseline data on nutritional factors and covariates (n=4711) were excluded, leaving a final research sample of 37,988 UKB participants.

The baseline dietary factors covered daily intake of coffee, tea, fish, processed meat, red meat, fruits, and vegetables, with detailed records kept for each subject.

Research Findings

The results showed that compared with drinking less than one cup of coffee per day, drinking one or more cups daily was associated with roughly a 10% reduction in COVID-19 risk. Other conclusions followed the same pattern: consuming at least 0.67 servings of vegetables per day was associated with a lower risk of infection, while at least 0.43 servings of processed meat per day was associated with a higher risk. And compared with those who were not breastfed as infants, those who were breastfed showed a 10% lower risk of COVID-19.

Read carefully, the study makes one thing clear: coffee is NOT the main character in preventing COVID-19 - the immune system is! The researchers themselves pointed out that caffeine is not the primary reason for fighting the virus. Even for someone who drinks little or no coffee, a balanced diet and regular exercise can reduce the risk of infection.

Looking at the study design, the participants consumed nutrients from various meats, fruits, and vegetables every day, and these nutrients steadily strengthened the body's immunity. As the researchers wrote: a person's nutrition affects immunity, and the immune system plays a crucial role in an individual's susceptibility and response to infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

Coffee may play a supporting role here, but the takeaway is not "drink only coffee." A balanced diet, proper protection, and good hygiene remain the real keys.

Coffee and Smell Recovery

First it was coffee preventing COVID-19, now coffee restoring the sense of smell - coffee has certainly been busy lately. Many of you have probably also seen articles about "sniffing coffee aroma to restore smell lost to COVID" making the rounds online.

Those articles claim that coffee beans contain over 800 aromatic compounds capable of stimulating olfactory receptors to generate nerve impulses, thereby restoring the sense of smell.

So the writer... tried it. Well - it didn't work for me. Under the steam of a hot coffee, my nasal congestion eased for a brief moment, but actually recognizing smells still needed time to come back.

The reason some people temporarily lose their sense of smell is that inflammation-related nerve damage weakens the brain's perception of odors. Everyone's inflammation differs, though - some with milder symptoms may recover their smell threshold when stimulated by particular scents (not necessarily coffee).

So if you really can't tell tastes apart, it doesn't hurt to try - and it's no big deal if it doesn't work. When you're sick, your body simply needs time. Losing taste and smell is temporary, so there's no need to panic. It's okay!

Final Thoughts

Finally: take good care of yourselves, eat well, and keep up personal hygiene and protection. May everyone welcome the new year healthy and happy!

Keep going!!!

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

While you're resting up, a good cup of coffee can still lift your spirits. For something gentle and easy to enjoy, FrontStreet Coffee recommends the FrontStreet Natural Sidamo Huakui - a traditional natural-process Ethiopia coffee bursting with berries, florals, jackfruit, sweet melon, and honey, with very little bitterness and a juicy-smooth texture that many describe as "the coffee that doesn't taste like coffee."

If you prefer something rounder and more comforting, the FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe Guoding brings jasmine florals, bright lemony acidity, and berry tones - light, clean, and easy on a tired throat. Both are beginner-friendly single origins, freshly roasted within days of shipping.