You Probably Haven’t Heard Of Coffee Fruit, But Here’s Why It Should Be On Your Radar

Attention, all of my incredible, fellow coffee-lovers: What if I told you there was a way to drink your coffee and boost your brain power at the same time? I know, you probably assume your daily cup of cold brew already does that for you, but there's a little thing called coffee fruit that's been scientifically shown to promote healthy brain function, among a whole host of other benefits. So what exactly is coffee fruit? Until recently, I pictured coffee beans sprouting in little pods, similar to the way edamame beans do (I wasn't even close, BTW). I truly had no idea that coffee fruit even existed, but according to experts, I've been missing out, and it's one superfood you have to try.

According to Dr. Mike Roussell, co-founder of Neuro Coffee, coffee fruit grows around coffee beans, much like how cherry flesh grows around the fruit's pit. He tells Elite Daily over email that the incredible health benefits of coffee fruit lie in a protein called BDNF. This protein, he says, helps with neuron growth and repair in your brain, which supports healthy brain function overall. And compared with your basic coffee, coffee fruit coffee is a health powerhouse. One study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that, while regular coffee can boost the production of that BDNF protein only slightly, coffee fruit concentrate can lead to a 143 percent increase in the protein.

In other words, your habit of waking up with coffee each day is doing wonders for your health — and it can do even more for you if you switch to coffee fruit coffee.

"Research shows that regularly drinking coffee is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, as well as certain types of cancer," Dr. Roussell tells Elite Daily. "Coffee fruit coffee takes these health benefits further by adding the ability to support your body in growing and repairing neurons."

The powerhouse fruit, he says, provides your body with antioxidants that support the production of that brain-boosting BDNF protein. But according to registered dietitian Dr. Megan Colletto, those antioxidants have even more benefits to them than that. "Antioxidants in our diet can help our bodies buffer the effects of stress, lack of sleep, etc., to maintain good health," she tells Elite Daily over email. TBH, I'm sold.

Ready to start popping these little guys until you're full to the brim with all of those benefits? I feel you. But you should know, coffee fruit isn't the kind of treat you can just munch on the way you would a strawberry or a crisp apple. Dr. Colletto says the stuff is, for the most part, only available in dried forms. The bright side is that it's not one of those superfoods that's going to taste, you know, as healthy as it is. In fact, Colletto says you won't even notice a difference in taste when you're sipping from your favorite mug. "The addition of the purified coffee fruit antioxidants doesn't change the taste of the coffee," she tells Elite Daily, "which is a huge plus!"

If you want to make your own coffee fruit coffee at home, you can steep the dried version like you might a tea.

If you're not a huge fan of the taste of coffee, you can also try putting coffee fruit directly on your face. Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Debbie Palmer, of skincare line Replere, told Paste Magazine that coffee fruit's antioxidants can do wonders for your skin. She told the outlet,

Coffee fruit is hand-picked on coffee farms—as it has been done for over 1,000 years—and it is known by the farmers that the fruit is rejuvenating.

This is because the fruit is high in polyphenol compounds: proanthocyanidins, chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acid. The fruit has been found to be higher in antioxidants than tea, vitamin C and E, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and pomegranate.

Now excuse me while I go slather myself in this stuff inside and out — all in the name of health, of course.