The stomach-friendly coffee: Dark-roasted

VIENNA, March 24 (UPI) -- German and Austrian researchers said dark-roasted coffee may contain substances that reduce stomach acid.

Veronika Somoza of the University of Vienna in Austria and Thomas Hofmann of the Technische Universitat Munchen in Germany said the finding was counter-intuitive, yet good news.

The researchers said their findings may mean future brews may be easier on the stomach yet retain coffee's rich taste and aroma. They noted processes now used to remove stomach irritants also reduce the amount of substances scientists link to benefits such as protection against diabetes and heart disease.

The researchers found espresso, French roast and other dark-roasted coffee contain a substance not found in raw coffee beans -- N-methylpyridium -- that tells the stomach to reduce the production of acid.

"This discovery is going to help a lot of people who suffer from coffee sensitivity," Somoza and Hofmann said in a statement. "As coffee-lovers, we're very excited about this research."

Somoza, Hofmann and colleagues exposed cultures of human stomach cells to a variety of different coffee preparations -- including regular, dark-roast, mild, decaffeinated and those processed to be stomach friendly.

The findings were presented at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society being held in San Francisco.