Coffee has long been seen as a workaholic’s magic potion. It won’t be wrong to say that coffee is often a professional’s best friend at work. Health experts have often spoken about the health hazards of excessive caffeine consumption, but recently certain scientific studies have presented coffee consumption in a positive light.
A previous study conducted by Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) in Switzerland suggest that drinking four cups of coffee a day may decrease an individual’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. And now a latest study states that drinking coffee may actually help you shed weight.
A team of experts from University of Georgia set out to experiment with mice by injecting them with a component called chlorogenic acid – commonly found in coffee and other fruits and vegetables. “CGA is a powerful antioxidant that reduces inflammation,” said study lead author Yongjie Ma from UGA.
When a group of mice was fed with a high-fat diet coupled with chlorogenic acid (CGA solution) twice per week, there was a significant decrease in insulin resistance and accumulation of fat in the livers of mice. The mice in this study received a high dose of CGA, much higher than what a human body would absorb through regular coffee consumption or a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. They found that CGA was not only effective in preventing weight gain, but it also helped maintain normal blood sugar levels and healthy liver composition.
Since an increased insulin resistance and the accumulation of fat in the liver are seen as the common side effects of obesity, the current study can prove to be a great step in understanding and combating the problem of global obesity and help formulate appropriate drugs.
“We are not suggesting that people start drinking a lot of coffee to protect themselves from an unhealthy lifestyle,” Ma stressed. “But we do think that we might be able to create a useful therapeutic using CGA that will help those at risk for obesity-related disease as they make positive lifestyle changes.
