Researchers at the University of Georgia
have discovered that a chemical compound commonly found in coffee may help
prevent some of the damaging effects of obesity.
In a paper published recently (September 2014) in Pharmaceutical Research, scientists found that chlorogenic acid, or
CGA, significantly reduced insulin resistance and accumulation of fat in the
livers of mice who were fed a high-fat diet.
"Previous studies have shown that coffee
consumption may lower the risk for chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and
cardiovascular disease," said Yongjie Ma, a postdoctoral research
associate in UGA's College of Pharmacy and lead author of the paper. "Our
study expands on this research by looking at the benefits associated with this
specific compound, which is found in great abundance in coffee, but also in
other fruits and vegetables like apples, pears, tomatoes and blueberries."
During the past 20 years, there has been a
dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. More than one-third of U.S.
adults and approximately 17 percent of children are obese, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the annual medical cost of
obesity is more than $147 billion.
Aside from weight gain, two common side
effects of obesity are increased insulin resistance and the accumulation of fat
in the liver. Left untreated, these disorders can lead to diabetes and poor
liver function.
To test the therapeutic effects of CGA,
researchers fed a group of mice a high-fat diet for 15 weeks while also
injecting them with a CGA solution twice per week.
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.
"CGA is a powerful antioxidant that
reduces inflammation," said Ma, who works in the laboratory of professor
Dexi Liu in the department of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences. "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."
But the authors are quick to point out that
CGA is not a cure-all. Proper diet and regular exercise are still the best methods
to reduce the risks associated with obesity.
The mice in this study received a high dose
of CGA, much higher than what a human would absorb through regular coffee
consumption or a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
However, the researchers do believe that CGA
may form the foundation of a treatment for those who need extra help. They plan
to conduct more research to develop an improved CGA formulation specifically
for human consumption.
"We're not suggesting that people start drinking a lot of
coffee to protect themselves from an unhealthy lifestyle," said Ma, who is
also a member of UGA's Obesity Initiative. "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."
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