The Study Says Coffee Can Prevent COVID-19 Can Not Be Trusted

JAKARTA - A recent study states that a substance in coffee, caffeine, has the potential to prevent COVID-19. But the study is only in its infancy. Still need further research to prove it.

The research written by Amin O. Elzupir in the Journal of Biomulecular Structure and Dynamics was published in October 2020. In his article, Elzupir examined how drugs containing caffeine, called 3CPs, react to new corona virus proteases that attach to human cells or those that called 3CLpro.

That study revealed 3CPs exhibited good binding affinity to the catalytic residue of 3CLpro. In other words, there is the potential for the caffeine content we usually find in coffee to have the potential to prevent COVID-19 by inhibiting the protease of the new corona virus.

However, this research is still in its infancy and cannot be fully trusted. The reason is, this research is just a prediction result in silico. What is an in silico study?

In silico is a study that relies on computer simulations to analyze a database of chemical compounds and identify candidate drug compounds. Studies with molecular docking techniques are usually used to predict the bioactivity of a compound prior to experimental analysis in the laboratory.

This method is often used for experiments in finding new drugs. The reason is that one of the advantages is that it takes a fast time and costs less, according to Ruswanto et al in the Journal of Chemical Valence.

The journal's author, Elzupir, in his own writing stated that the study still needed further research. This is because predictions made only by computer simulations are not sufficient to understand the complexity of the human body.

Elzupir said, the use of caffeine for the treatment of COVID-19 can only be recommended after validating in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials or direct trials in humans. "In particular, the reuse of linagliptin, and caffeine is recommended for the treatment of COVID-19 after validation of in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials," wrote.

Likewise, Emergency Doctor Gia Pratama, who also shared the research through his Twitter social media account, also said that the study still needed in-depth research. "It still needs further research. It's promising, but not now," said Gia to VOI.

To validate these studies, in vitro, in vivo, and even clinical trials are needed. As quoted from the Journal of Veterinary Science, the in vitro test is a test method on artificial media. Meanwhile, the in vivo test is an experimental method that uses all living organisms such as animals and humans.

Even so, the caffeine content in coffee does have various benefits. For example, to start from nourishing the lining of the heart and blood vessels, reducing the risk of diabetes, to being able to lose weight.