How a cup of coffee could tackle obesity
| Jun 25, 2019, 11:44 IST
A new study claims just one cup of coffee could help tackle the obesity crisis as it can help stimulate fat-fighting defences in the body. The study was conducted by a research team at the University of Nottingham.
Researchers discovered certain components may have an effect on Brown adipose tissue (BAT), also known as brown fat, which plays a crucial role in how we burn calories for energy. BAT, found in humans and mammals, is one of two kinds of fat. Its primary job is to burn calories in order to produce body heat. That is why people with high amounts of body fat tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI).
The team began their investigation by conducting stem cell studies to determine if caffeine could help stimulate brown fat. Once they found the right dose they began their experiment on humans. A thermal imaging technique was used to track the brown fat reserves in the body. This technique is non-invasive and helps the team understand the capacity in which brown fat is able to produce heat.
Symonds explained: "Brown fat works in a different way to other fat in your body and produces heat by burning sugar and fat, often in response to cold. Increasing its activity improves blood sugar control as well as improving blood lipid levels and the extra calories burnt help with weight loss."
Researchers are excited about the findings, which could have a huge impact on tackling the obesity and diabetes epidemic across the globe. "This is the first study in humans to show that something like a cup of coffee can have a direct effect on our brown fat functions. The potential implications of our results are pretty big, as obesity is a major health concern for society and we also have a growing diabetes epidemic and brown fat could potentially be part of the solution in tackling them," Symonds told a news portal.
The team plans to investigate further to better understand how the components in coffee can work to tackle issues with weight. "The results were positive and we now need to ascertain that caffeine as one of the ingredients in the coffee is acting as the stimulus or if there's another component helping with the activation of brown fat. We are currently looking at caffeine supplements to test whether the effect is similar," Symonds told a news portal. Adding, "Once we have confirmed which component is responsible for this, it could potentially be used as part of a weight management regime or as part of glucose regulation programme to help prevent diabetes."
The study's findings were originally published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Researchers discovered certain components may have an effect on Brown adipose tissue (BAT), also known as brown fat, which plays a crucial role in how we burn calories for energy. BAT, found in humans and mammals, is one of two kinds of fat. Its primary job is to burn calories in order to produce body heat. That is why people with high amounts of body fat tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI).
The team began their investigation by conducting stem cell studies to determine if caffeine could help stimulate brown fat. Once they found the right dose they began their experiment on humans. A thermal imaging technique was used to track the brown fat reserves in the body. This technique is non-invasive and helps the team understand the capacity in which brown fat is able to produce heat.
Symonds explained: "Brown fat works in a different way to other fat in your body and produces heat by burning sugar and fat, often in response to cold. Increasing its activity improves blood sugar control as well as improving blood lipid levels and the extra calories burnt help with weight loss."
Researchers are excited about the findings, which could have a huge impact on tackling the obesity and diabetes epidemic across the globe. "This is the first study in humans to show that something like a cup of coffee can have a direct effect on our brown fat functions. The potential implications of our results are pretty big, as obesity is a major health concern for society and we also have a growing diabetes epidemic and brown fat could potentially be part of the solution in tackling them," Symonds told a news portal.
The team plans to investigate further to better understand how the components in coffee can work to tackle issues with weight. "The results were positive and we now need to ascertain that caffeine as one of the ingredients in the coffee is acting as the stimulus or if there's another component helping with the activation of brown fat. We are currently looking at caffeine supplements to test whether the effect is similar," Symonds told a news portal. Adding, "Once we have confirmed which component is responsible for this, it could potentially be used as part of a weight management regime or as part of glucose regulation programme to help prevent diabetes."
The study's findings were originally published in the journal Scientific Reports.