14 DAY TRIAL // According to a recent paper authored by scientists with the University of Georgia in the US and published in the journal Pharmaceutical Research, something as simple as enjoying a cup of coffee every once in a while could help overweight and obese individuals keep healthy.
Thus, the researchers say that, according to evidence a hand, a chemical compound that is naturally occurring in coffee has the potential to stave off some of the damaging effects of being overweight or obese.
Drinking coffee to stay healthy
As detailed in the journal Pharmaceutical Research, the compound in question is known to the scientific community as chlorogenic acid. Just for giggles, here's its official name: (1S,3R,4R,5R)-3-{[(2E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoyl]oxy}-1,4,5-trihydroxycyclohexanecarboxylic acid.
Having carried out a series of experiments on laboratory mice, the University of Georgia scientists found that this compound has the potential to reduce insulin resistance and accumulation of fat in the liver even in the context of a high-fat diet.
Thus, rodents that were injected with this compound twice per week for a period of time of 15 weeks displayed reduced insulin resistance and accumulation of fat in their liver despite the fact that, during this entire time, they were kept on a high-fat diet.
Interestingly enough, the researchers say that, apart from keeping blood sugar levels in check and protecting the liver, chlorogenic acid appears to also help prevent or at least limit weight gain, Science Daily informs.
Obesity is a major issue in the US
Recent figures shared with the public by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that, presently, over 30% of the people living in this country qualify as obese. What's more, the childhood obesity rate in the US is now an impressive 17%.
It is estimated that, each and every year, the medical costs associated with the high obesity levels in the US amount to a whopping $147 billion (nearly €118 billion). This is because overweight and obese individuals are more likely to develop diabetes, heart trouble, and all sorts of other conditions.
Hence, scientists are hard at work trying to come up with ways to help people slim down and get fit. True, exercising on a regular basis and eating healthy are the key to losing weight. Then again, it can only come as good news that something as simple as coffee can also help.
“Chlorogenic acid is a powerful antioxidant that reduces inflammation. A lot of evidence suggests that obesity-related diseases are caused by chronic inflammation, so if we can control that, we can hopefully offset some of the negative effects of excessive weight gain,” said researcher Yongjie Ma.
What about the people who don't like coffee?
First off, it's important to note that, as effective at tackling some of the damaging effects of obesity as chlorogenic acid might be, the fact of the matter is that the mice that the researchers experimented on were injected with much more of this compound than people can hope to get just from drinking coffee.
Thus, the researchers aren't saying that overweight and obese individuals should start gulping down buckets full of coffee each and every day. What they are saying is that this compound can help pave the way for the development of new drug designed to fight obesity.
“We're not suggesting that people start drinking a lot of coffee to protect themselves from an unhealthy lifestyle,” University of Georgia scientist Yongjie Ma commented on the outcome of this series of experiments on laboratory mice.
“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,” the specialist went on to explain.
