Scientists have discovered that roasted coffee has potential effects on sugar metabolism in the body.
Roasted coffee is a type of coffee that undergoes a roasting process at high temperatures, with the aim of delivering high-quality, aromatic coffee beans that provide a rich flavor when brewed (Photo: Scribblers Coffee).
Scientists have discovered that certain compounds in coffee not only help increase alertness but also have the ability to inhibit alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the development of type 2 diabetes.
Notably, the effectiveness of these compounds has been shown to be superior to that of some commonly used diabetes medications.
Because alpha glucosidase directly affects the rate of carbohydrate breakdown and the amount of sugar entering the bloodstream, this finding opens up prospects for developing new functional food components to support the management of type 2 diabetes.
The potential of coffee to fight diabetes.
According to a 2025 study published in the scientific journal Beverage Plant Research , a team of authors from the Chinese Academy of Sciences stated that functional foods can provide health benefits through compounds such as antioxidants, neuroprotective compounds, or components that help lower blood sugar.
However, accurately identifying these beneficial compounds is not simple due to the complex chemical structure of food.
The research team led by Minghua Qiu has provided new evidence of the previously unrecorded antidiabetic activity of coffee, while also clarifying the potential role of coffee as a functional food.
Specifically, the team developed a three-step process, focusing on bioactivity, to detect diterpene esters in roasted coffee beans.
This method allows for the detection of both common compounds and those present in extremely low concentrations, while reducing the amount of solvent used and shortening the analysis time.
From roasted coffee beans, scientists extracted a mixture of diterpene compounds and divided them into 19 different fractions. Each fraction was analyzed for its chemical composition in parallel with testing for its alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity.
The results showed that from the most bioactive fractions, the research team isolated three completely new diterpene compounds, named caffaldehyde A, B, and C.
These compounds exhibit high efficacy in inhibiting alpha-glucosidase, thereby slowing down the breakdown of carbohydrates and the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Their effectiveness is considered superior to some current type 2 diabetes medications, suggesting potential for supporting blood glucose control.
What should coffee drinkers understand?
Roasted coffee has the ability to inhibit alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the development of type 2 diabetes.
All three caffaldehyde compounds detected in roasted coffee showed the ability to inhibit enzymes directly involved in postprandial hyperglycemia.
Using modern analytical techniques, the research team also identified many new trace compounds in roasted coffee that had never been recorded before.
Research results suggest that coffee is not only a beverage that helps you stay alert, but also contains potential bioactive components that may contribute to blood sugar control. However, these effects still need further research before they can be applied in practical nutrition and treatment.
This discovery opens up opportunities to develop functional foods or dietary supplements derived from coffee, aimed at supporting blood sugar control and diabetes management.
Not limited to coffee, this highly accurate, low-solvent screening method can also be applied to many other complex food sources, helping to quickly detect compounds beneficial to health.