Compound found in coffee may counter obesity and type 2 diabetes

A chemical compound found in coffee may counter the effects of obesity and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, new research suggests.
The study, conducted at The University of Georgia and published in Pharmaceutical Research, discovered that chlorogenic acid significantly reduced insulin resistance and levels of fat in the liver.
Yongjie Ma, a postdoctoral research associate at UGA’S College of pharmacy and lead author of the study said: “Previous studies have shown that coffee consumption may lower the risk for chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular (heart) disease.
“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.”
The test was conducted by feeding a high-fat diet to a group of mice while also injecting them with a CGA solution twice a week. This went on for 15 weeks. CGA both prevented weight gain and contributed to normal blood sugar maintenance and healthy liver composition.
Ma explained that a lot of obesity related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, are caused by inflammation, and CGA is an inflammation-reducing oxidant.
The researchers did not recommend that people drink lots of coffee to protect themselves from an unhealthy lifestyle, but developing the study “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.” Positive lifestyle changes include improving one’s diet and doing more exercise.