Coffee linked to gut bacterium Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus
What it found
In people, coffee drinking was strongly linked to higher levels of a gut bacterium called Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus.
In lab tests, coffee made this bacterium grow more.
What they found
Studies in people
Coffee and gut bacteria
Coffee drinkers had different gut microbiomes compared to non-drinkers, with the strongest link to L. asaccharolyticus. Its abundance was 4.5 to 8 times higher in high coffee drinkers than in those who never drank coffee.
Decaf vs regular
The link with L. asaccharolyticus was also seen with decaffeinated coffee, suggesting it is not just due to caffeine.
Worldwide prevalence
L. asaccharolyticus was more common in people from countries with higher coffee consumption. It was rare in non-Western populations and ancient samples.
Blood metabolites
Coffee drinkers had higher levels of certain metabolites in their blood, including quinic acid and trigonelline, which were linked to L. asaccharolyticus.
Animal and lab studies
Lab growth tests
In lab experiments, coffee stimulated the growth of L. asaccharolyticus, with an average increase of 350% in liquid media. Higher concentrations inhibited two other gut bacteria.
What the authors conclude
“This study reveals a metabolic link between a specific gut microorganism and a specific food item, providing a framework for the understanding of microbial dietary responses at the biochemical level.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that coffee intake has a strong link to a specific gut bacterium, L. asaccharolyticus, and that this link is largely independent of caffeine.
- They suggest that future work should try to establish whether the health effects of coffee are mediated by this bacterium.
- They call for similar studies on other foods to map their effects on the gut microbiome.
How it was done
The authors wanted to understand how specific foods affect the gut microbiome, and coffee was chosen because it is widely consumed and has known health effects.
They analysed over 22,000 stool samples from US and UK participants with detailed coffee intake information, plus public data from 54,198 samples. They also did lab experiments growing L. asaccharolyticus with coffee and analysed blood metabolites from 438 samples.
What it can’t tell you
- This study shows a link between coffee and L. asaccharolyticus, but it cannot prove that coffee causes the bacterium to increase in people.
- The lab experiments were done outside the human body, so they cannot show exactly what happens in the gut.
- The study cannot show whether changes in this bacterium affect health.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NCI NIH HHS; Wellcome Trust (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- Competing interests: G.H., J.W. and T.D.S. are co-founders of ZOE. G.H., J.W., R.D., F.G. and K.M.B. are or have been employees of ZOE. N.S., F.A., S.E.B., C.H. and T.D.S. are consultants to ZOE. T.D.S., R.D., J.W., G.H., F.A., N.S. and S.E.B. receive options with ZOE. All other authors declare no competing interests.
- Authors work at
- University of Trento, Italy; Research and Innovation Centre, Italy; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA
The paper
- Title
- Coffee consumption is associated with intestinal Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus abundance and prevalence across multiple cohorts
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Manghi P, Bhosle A, Wang K, et al (2024). Coffee consumption is associated with intestinal Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus abundance and prevalence across multiple cohorts. Nature microbiology. doi:10.1038/s41564-024-01858-9Free full textPubMed 39558133DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error