BDNF Beyond the Bean
Beyond the Bean: How Coffee Fruit Helps Your Brain
You’ve probably experienced firsthand the effects of the humble coffee bean on your focus, mood, and motivation. But did you know that the fruit of the coffee plant also has brain benefits? Exciting new research shows that coffee fruit extract can help boost levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) – a substance hugely important to cognitive function.*
The BDNF Brain Boost
For a long time, scientists thought the brain was static — meaning that once it developed, it didn’t grow or change. That understanding was turned on its head a couple decades ago, when science revealed that the brain is actually quite flexible, or “plastic.” Even more fascinating, a particular protein called BDNF was discovered to stimulate the growth of new brain cells and neural pathways.*
This discovery is hugely important. Why? Because with BDNF on your side, you can grow new brain cells and develop new neural pathways at any age. And that means you’re never too old to learn new things or sharpen your memory!
“Juicing Up” BDNF with Coffee Fruit Extract
BDNF levels naturally decline with age. But thankfully, you can increase BDNF naturally. Two recent clinical studies found that coffee fruit extract significantly boosts levels of BDNF in the brain.* In one study, BDNF levels doubled, and in another, BDNF levels increased by as much as 143%!*
Those increases appear to translate into direct brain benefits. Research in older adults found that not only did taking coffee fruit extract increase BDNF, but it also caused measurable changes in brain connectivity and cognitive performance.*
Most Coffee Does NOT Have Coffee Fruit Extract
Most brewed coffee doesn’t include any coffee fruit extract – but JBA coffee is different. Our instant coffees are uniquely made with both ground coffee beans AND coffee fruit extract, unlocking more of the coffee plant’s benefits.
Here’s how we do it:
- The ripe coffee fruit with the bean inside is harvested.
- The coffee fruit is fermented until it softens and is pressed to extract the juice.
- The coffee fruit and beans are then fermented together.
- The coffee beans are extracted from the fruit, then roasted and ground.
- The extracted coffee fruit juice is added back to the ground coffee to make our unique, functional instant coffee.
Try our JBA instant caffe lattes for a cup full of brain-boosting goodness!
* FDA disclaimer