A Chemical in Your Morning Coffee May Prevent Obesity-Related Diseases

There may be another reason to drink your morning cup of coffee. Scientists have found that a chemical compound commonly found in coffee may help prevent some of the damaging effects of obesity.

Previous studies have actually shown that drinking coffee may lower the risk for chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. That's why scientists decided to examine coffee and its compounds a bit more closely. More specifically, they examined chlorogenic acid, also known as CGA.

In order to test the therapeutic effects of CGA, the scientists fed a group of mice a high-fat diet for 15 weeks while also injecting them with a CGA solution twice per week. Not only was CGA effective in preventing weight gain, but it also helped the mice maintain normal blood sugar levels and healthy liver composition.

"CGA is a powerful antioxidant that reduces inflammation," said Yongjie Ma, one of the researchers, in a news release. "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."

That said, CGA isn't a cure-all. Proper diet and exercise is still crucial when it comes to reducing the risks associated with obesity. Not only that, but the mice received a high dose of CGA that was far higher than what a human would absorb through regular coffee consumption or a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. However, CGA could potentially form the foundation of a treatment that could help those that need some extra aid.

"We're not suggesting that people start drinking a lot of coffee to protect themselves from an unhealthy lifestyle," said Ma. "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 findings are published in the journal Pharmaceutical Research.