What scientists just found between coffee and antibiotics may surprise you
A laboratory study by scientists in Germany shows that caffeine can make E. coli bacteria less sensitive to some antibiotics. E. coli is a common type of bacteria that usually live in a harmless way in the intestine, but can cause infections such as food poisoning or urinary tract infections.
The study, published in Plos Biology magazine on July 22, looked at 94 different chemicals, including drugs such as Aspirin, natural compounds in the body, and components in foods such as vanilla and caffeine.
Relationship between protein and caffeine
The researchers found was surprising, reducing a protein levels called OMPF, which helps some antibiotics such as caffeine, siprofloxacin and amoxicillin to enter the bacterial cell. If there are fewer OMPFs, antibiotics cannot easily enter the bacteria, which can make them less effective.
However, before thinking about leaving your coffee in the morning, scientists want to make something very clear, which does not mean that drinking coffee will prevent antibiotics from working in your body.
Scientists even tested the effect of caffeine on a real E. coli example taken from a patient with urinary tract infection. The same happened, bacteria did less than the OMPF protein. Nevertheless, this was a laboratory work, a clinical work in the real world. This means that caffeine does not yet know whether the antibiotics affect the human body in the same way.
The study also found that a gene regulator called Rob took part in many changes. This protein helps bacteria to open or close other genes and may be more important than the researchers he had previously thought of.
In short, caffeine can change how bacteria react to antibiotics, but experts say more research is needed. For now, doctors are telling you to continue to drink your coffee and follow your doctor’s instructions if you buy antibiotics.
