We’ve told you in this space about the purported positive effects of Caffeine-containing Beverages. But now, a study of Caffeine itself has revealed that the substance may be extremely effective in warding off some common health issues…
Happy, healthy Coffee Drinkers…
Some time ago, we spotlighted a learned study that showed a connection between Coffee consumption and weight loss. Now, a study by researchers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has confirmed that, and revealed that Caffeine may have other beneficial effects.
What they did
In a rat-based experiment, three groups of test subjects were used. One was given high-Caffeine Tea, another got Caffeine extracted from Coffee, and the third received synthetic Caffeine.
According to an abstract of the study report, “for four weeks, the rats in the study ate a diet that contained 40% fat, 45% carbohydrate and 15% protein. They also ingested one of the forms of caffeine [which we studied] in an amount equivalent to that of a human who drinks four cups of coffee daily.”
What they found
At the end of the four-week period, the percentage of lean body mass in the various groups of rats differed significantly. The rats that ingested caffeine from mate tea, coffee or synthetic sources accumulated less body fat than rats in control groups.
Researchers also found that cholesterol levels were ‘significantly associated’ with the rats’ Caffeine consumption. Caffeine apparently caused 20 to 41 percent less cholesterol and triglycerides to concentrate in the rats’ body fat tissues and livers.
The takeaway
“Considering the findings, […] Caffeine can be considered [an] anti-obesity agent,” said Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia, a Co-author of the Study. “The results of this research could be scaled to humans to understand the role of […] caffeine as [a] potential strategy to prevent overweight and obesity, as well as the subsequent metabolic disorders associated with these conditions. […] The consumption of caffeine […] alleviated the negative impact of a high-fat, high-sucrose diet on body composition thanks to the modulation of certain lipogenic enzymes in both adipose tissue and the liver.”
My take
It’s true. When I stopped drinking Coffee (for reasons I won’t burden the reader with here) I gained weight. I’ll stop well short of proclaiming Caffeine a miracle drug. But I should probably make a point of drinking a cup of strong Java daily to help slim down and reduce my cholesterol…
~ Maggie J.