Regular coffee consumption found to affect mood and stress through gut bacteria

A Nature Communications study found that habitual coffee drinking shifts specific gut microbes and metabolite patterns, without broadly changing overall microbiome diversity.

Coffee intake was linked to better stress, mood, and impulsivity outcomes, with caffeinated coffee showing the strongest effects.

Decaffeinated coffee also appeared to support some memory and learning measures.

The results suggest coffee’s effects on the brain may be partly mediated through the gut microbiome and gut-brain axis.