Drinking a cup of coffee would be beneficial for brown fat, which plays a major role in the transformation of calories into energy.
Coffee could fight against obesity. British researchers from the University of Nottingham (London) show that caffeine stimulates brown adipose tissue, which transforms food calories into energy. Their results were published in the journal Nature.
Brown grease or white grease?
The main types of fatty tissue found in the human body are brown fat and white fat. The first allows the body to burn calories by transforming them into energy, the second stores the calories in the form of fat. “Brown fat works differently than other fats in the body and produces heat by burning sugar and fat, often in response to cold, explains Professor Michael Symonds, who led the study. The increase in its activity improves blood sugar control as well as optimizing blood lipid levels and losing extra calorie weight”.
Researchers conducted in vivo and in vitro experiments to understand what role caffeine plays in the energy manufacturing process. When they exposed adipocytes (the cells that store fat) to caffeine, they found that it boosted their metabolism.
At the same time, they assessed the amount of UCP1 protein, found in brown fatty tissue – this protein is activated when converting food calories into energy. Exposure of cells to caffeine increased the amounts of UCP1 protein, indicating there was a greater transformation of calories into energy.
Coffee consumption must remain measured
The researchers wanted to confirm these results in humans. Using a thermal imaging technique, they located the brown fat in the participants’ necks and studied the heat variations of the area. When they drank coffee, the temperature rose.
For the researchers, this is the sign of thermogenesis, a creation of heat linked to cellular activity, and therefore of an impact of caffeine on the production of brown fat. “This is the first study in humans to show that the simple act of having a cup of coffee can have a direct effect on the functions of brown fat, explains Professor Symonds. The potential consequences of our results are quite significant. , as obesity is a major public health concern. The number of diabetes cases is on the rise, and brown fat could potentially be part of the solution to combat this.”
If the results are confirmed, caffeine could be used in treatments to fight obesity. Coffee consumption must however remain measured: it should not exceed 4 cups per day.
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