L'Italo-Americano

T h e r e i s n o t h i n g m o r e c o m m o n t h a n b e g i n n i n g t h e d a y w i t h a cup of coffee, never mind if it's an espresso from the bar, a tazzina from your home moka, or a large cup from your local café. O n b o t h s i d e s o f t h e Atlantic, coffee has a special place in our daily lives, in a way that goes well beyond getting a "caffeine fix," but in Italy, it is something really special: we just need to think that Italians drink an esti- m a t e d 9 5 m i l l i o n c u p s e v e r y d a y , a n d t h a t t h e "coffee ritual" remains one of the country's most recogniz- able habits, especially in the morning when – and I am sure many of you agree with me – we need it to fully wake up and begin the day. That's because coffee can make you more alert and support con- c e n t r a t i o n , b u t a r e c e n t study suggests our favorite drink's effects on the body may be more complex than that, and extend beyond caf- feine itself to involve the key relationship between the gut and the brain. T h e r e s e a r c h w a s p u b - lished in April 2026 in the journal Nature Communi- c a t i o n s , w i t h t h e t i t l e H a b i t u a l c o f f e e i n t a k e shapes the gut microbiome and modifies host physiolo- gy and cognition, and was c o n d u c t e d b y r e s e a r c h e r s from University College Cork's APC Microbiome Ireland research center a n d t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Parma. The study examined how regular coffee consump- t i o n a f f e c t s t h e h u m a n microbiome, cognitive per- formance, mood, and physi- ological responses. S c i e n t i s t s r e c r u i t e d 6 2 healthy adults, dividing them into two groups: 31 habitual coffee drinkers and 31 people who did not regularly con- s u m e c o f f e e . T h e c o f f e e drinkers were then asked to stop drinking coffee for two weeks before reintroducing either regular or decaffeinat- ed coffee for an additional three weeks. Throughout the s t u d y , r e s e a r c h e r s m o n i - tored changes in gut bacte- ria, metabolism, cognitive p e r f o r m a n c e , e m o t i o n a l responses, and several other biological markers. At the center of the inves- tigation was the so-called gut-brain axis, a term used t o d e s c r i b e t h e c o n s t a n t communication between the digestive and nervous sys- tems, which scientists have increasingly analyzed over the past decade. Thanks to t h e s e a d v a n c e m e n t s i n research, it was discovered that the trillions of microor- ganisms living in the human intestine – our microbiome – influence much more than digestion, but also immune f u n c t i o n , i n f l a m m a t i o n , stress responses, mood reg- ulation, and even aspects of learning and memory. The new study found sig- n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e s between the microbiomes of regular coffee drinkers and non-drinkers: certain bacte- r i a l g r o u p s , f o r i n s t a n c e , appeared in greater abun- dance among habitual cof- fee consumers, and perhaps m o r e i m p o r t a n t l y , researchers observed that changes occurred when cof- fee was removed from the diet and then reintroduced, s u g g e s t i n g t h a t c o f f e e actively influences the com- position and activity of the gut microbiome rather than m e r e l y b e i n g a s s o c i a t e d with it. Very interestingly, some of these effects appeared even when participants con- sumed decaffeinated coffee, which means that caffeine is only part of the story. Cof- fee, in fact, contains hun- d r e d s o f c o m p o u n d s , including antioxidants and p o l y p h e n o l s , n a t u r a l l y occurring plant substances also found in foods such as berries, olive oil, tea, and d a r k c h o c o l a t e , w h i c h r e s e a r c h e r s b e l i e v e m a y interact with gut bacteria. This factor may help explain s o m e o f c o f f e e ' s b r o a d e r effects on health. The distinction between caffeinated and decaf- feinated coffee produced very interesting, and per- haps unexpected, results: if l e a r n i n g t h a t c o n s u m i n g r e g u l a r c o f f e e l e d t o improvements in alertness and attention isn't surpris- i n g , p e r h a p s m o r e s o i s k n o w i n g t h a t i t w a s a l s o associated with lower levels of anxiety and psychological d i s t r e s s . D r i n k i n g d e c a f - feinated coffee, meanwhile, d e m o n s t r a t e d b e n e f i t s r e l a t e d t o l e a r n i n g a n d memory. Both groups expe- rienced reductions in self- reported stress and depres- sive symptoms after coffee was reintroduced into their routines. Of course, these findings d o n o t m e a n t h a t c o f f e e s h o u l d b e c o n s i d e r e d a treatment for depression or a n x i e t y , a n d r e s e a r c h e r s themselves are careful to emphasize the limitations of t h e s t u d y , e s p e c i a l l y i n terms of sample size and the s e l f - r e p o r t i n g n a t u r e o f effects. Nevertheless, they provide new evidence that coffee's effects may involve m u l t i p l e b i o l o g i c a l p a t h - ways operating simultane- ously. The study is also a good e x a m p l e o f w h y c o f f e e remains such a fascinating subject for researchers who, over the years and across n u m e r o u s s t u d i e s , h a v e linked moderate coffee con- sumption with lower risks of type 2 diabetes, liver dis- e a s e , c a r d i o v a s c u l a r d i s - ease, certain cancers, cogni- tive decline, and depression. Scientists have often strug- gled, however, to identify exactly which of its com- p o n e n t s p r o d u c e t h e s e benefits and through which mechanisms they operate. Needless to say, coffee lovers around the world are h a p p y t o s e e t h e i r l i t t l e morning obsession treated as more than a mere vehicle to get caffeine, but perhaps there is even more: that tra- ditional morning espresso at the bar, the mid-morning c o f f e e b r e a k s h a r e d w i t h colleagues or friends, and the moka pot placed on the stove after lunch, or once you get home from work, all represent important social rituals, able to relax us and c o n n e c t u s w i t h o t h e r s . Anthropologists and sociol- ogists have long observed t h a t c o f f e e c o n s u m p t i o n creates moments of routine psychological comfort, and science is now exploring whether some of those per- c e i v e d b e n e f i t s m a y a l s o have biological foundations. Careful though, because all this doesn't mean more c o f f e e i s a l w a y s b e t t e r : r e m e m b e r t h a t e x c e s s i v e c a f f e i n e i n t a k e c a n c o n - t r i b u t e t o i n s o m n i a , increased heart rate, ner- v o u s n e s s , a n d o t h e r unwanted effects, particu- larly if you are especially sensitive. This is why health authorities generally recom- mend moderation. Still, this new Italo-Irish study offers a good reminder that one of Italy's most familiar daily habits may be more com- plex – and maybe healthier – than it appears, because of the chemical complexity o f c o f f e e , a n d t h e w a y i n w h i c h t h e s e c o m p o u n d s interact with the body. And so, while scientists continue to investigate the relationship between coffee, the microbiome, and mental w e l l - b e i n g , o u r b e l o v e d e s p r e s s o r e m a i n s w h a t i t h a s a l w a y s b e e n : a s m a l l daily ritual whose signifi- cance is perhaps bigger than what's in the cup. FRANCESCA BEZZONE C a n c o f f e e m a k e y o u h a p p i e r ? A n e w study explores the question THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano Recent studies carried out between Italy and Ireland show that our daily cup of coffee has positive effects on our micro- biome (Image generated using Adobe Illustrator AI) LIFESTYLE WELNESS TRENDS STYLE TASTE

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