BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Drinking Coffee May Have Health Benefits?

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Petr Kratochvil

A new study at the University of Georgia indicates that a chemical compound commonly found in coffee might prevent obesity-related disease. While previous studies show that coffee consumption can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes, scientists have recently focused on chlorogenic acid, a compound also known to be in tomatoes, apples, blueberries, and pears.

The test consisted of a group of mice that were fed a high fat diet for 15 weeks while giving them CGA solution injections twice a week. Researchers found that the CGA shots helped the mice maintain normal blood sugar levels, a healthy liver composition, and prevent weight gain. It is important to note, however, that the mice received an extremely high dosage of CGA, much greater than what the average human would obtain by drinking coffee on a regular basis or eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

For the past 20 years obesity has become an issue of increasing incidence in the US. Obesity often leads to two major side effects aside from weight gain: increased insulin resistance and fat buildup in the liver. In the paper published in Pharmaceutical Research, researchers write that the CGA, significantly reduced insulin resistance and accumulation of fat in the livers of mice. They plan to extend the project to develop CGA formulation for humans.

As the Liu Lab writes “CGA is a powerful antioxidant that reduces inflammation,” but they are not to quick to jump to conclusions. Scientists still believe that proper diet and regular exercise are the most effective ways to reduce obesity-related risks. That being said, I definitely think this makes us feel better about drinking coffee every morning.

Original Article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141114124907.htm

For More Info:

http://www.medicaldaily.com/antioxidant-coffee-might-lower-risk-weight-gain-obesity-related-diseases-310816

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6 Comments

  1. simbiotic

    Great article rheaction! Did you also know that coffee boosts your metabolism! That is a great health benefit, and it gets your body functioning! Metabolism is the process where food in your body is converted into energy, at a chemical level. Calories are burned off pretty quickly once metabolism is increased. The correlation between metabolism and coffee was shown in a study conducted published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “Caffeine and Coffee: Their Influence on Metabolic Rate and Substrate Utilization in Normal Weight and Obese Individuals.” It showed that metabolism was increased after coffee consumption in overweight and average-weight individuals. Although metabolism was faster for both groups, fat oxidation which is the way fats are broken down, only happened in the normal-weight group.

    Heres a link to learn a little more about that experiment!

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7369170

  2. simbiotic

    Great article rheaction! Did you also know that coffee boosts your metabolism! That is a great health benefit, and it gets your body functioning! Metabolism is the process where food in your body is converted into energy, at a chemical level. Calories are burned off pretty quickly once metabolism is increased. The correlation between metabolism and coffee was shown in a study conducted published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “Caffeine and Coffee: Their Influence on Metabolic Rate and Substrate Utilization in Normal Weight and Obese Individuals.” It showed that metabolism was increased after coffee consumption in overweight and average-weight individuals. Although metabolism was faster for both groups, fat oxidation which is the way fats are broken down, only happened in the normal-weight group.

  3. gigabytes

    As a regular coffee drinker, this article was very interesting. I always make sure to be knowledgable about the dietary choices I make, and coffee has, and will continue to, confuse me. I did a little research into the overall effects of coffee, both positive and negative http://www.today.com/health/your-coffee-habit-killing-you-or-saving-your-life-2D11603303. What scientists are saying nowadays is that there is so much left to study, as nutrition science is a relatively new field. I was particularly interested in the possible correlation between coffee drinkers and reduced depression risk as stated in this article http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/coffee-depression-women-ascherio-lucas/. I am very curious to see the continuing research into the benefits and hazards of this all too popular drink.

  4. izotope

    Great article rheaction! Granted I drink a lot of coffee myself it is interesting to see the different affects it might have other than energy from caffeine. I found an article about Coffee and Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee and caffeine have shown, through studies, that they can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s, even in older patients who have shown signs of dementia. Caffeine can block inflammation in brain, especially adenosine receptors. These receptors create a chain reaction that starts the mind’s cognitive decline. Coffee seems to be very beneficial for many different aspects of the human body.

  5. whitebloodcell

    Great article rheaction! It seems like coffee provides so many health benefits. I agree that it is better to eat healthily rather than rely on chemical (seemingly CGA) to lower your chance of becoming obese. However, it appears that CGA could be used to help prevent certain obesity-related diseases while a person concurrently attempts to lose weight. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2837495/Could-coffee-prevent-obesity-Chemical-drink-halt-weight-gain-scientists-claim.html)

  6. nicheloss

    This is great news for coffee drinkers! I read some more about coffee’s health benefits and it turns out that caffeine (a major component of coffee) also acts as a “protective cognitive agent”, protecting us from diseases like Alzheimer’s.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20182054

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