Supplement
Coffee pulp extract comes from the fleshy fruit around the coffee bean and is rich in polyphenols, plant compounds with antioxidant activity in the lab. In one small study of 25 people, blood levels of BDNF, a protein that supports nerve cells, rose more after coffee fruit concentrate than after caffeine or placebo. That came from one industry-funded trial not yet repeated, and the antioxidant work is lab-only, so the evidence is very limited.
Sources: PMID 23312069
- Updated
- How we grade
- 1 study cited
- Best evidence
- Grade D
- Conditions studied
- 1
- Outcomes
- 2
- Graded outcomes
- 0002
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
General
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDNF Levels A single small industry-sponsored human study (n=25) found whole coffee fruit concentrate (100mg) increased plasma BDNF by 143% compared to 31% with caffeine alone and minimal change with placebo. The study was funded by Futureceuticals and has not been independently replicated. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 1 study | 25 people | ||
Studies that measured bdnf levels | ||||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant Status In vitro studies show coffee fruit polyphenols (chlorogenic acids, procyanidins, caffeic acid) have antioxidant activity comparable to other plant polyphenol sources. No human studies have measured changes in antioxidant biomarkers from coffee pulp extract supplementation. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect |
Key findings
- BDNF LevelsImproves (the measure goes up)
- Antioxidant StatusImproves (the measure goes up)
Studies cited
1 study from PubMed