Could drinking coffee help us to lose weight?
There’s no buzz like a coffee-induced buzz, and there’s nothing quite like an exercise high either.
But when it comes to losing weight, we tend to think only the latter will help us do it.
Though according to new research, coffee could help us burn off calories too.
By boosting the release of the hormone oxytocin, coffee could affect our metabolisms and appetites in a way that helps us lose weight, according to a recent trial.
Researchers at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology found that overweight mice who were given high amounts of caffeine were much more active on a wheel running machine and ate less.
They found that when they were given caffeine, the receptors of a molecule called adenosine – which contributes to sleep and energy production – were blocked.
And that was happening in the hypothalamus area of the brain, which is a main regulator of energy balance in mammals.
In mice, this triggered the release of oxytocin from brain cells and thus reduced levels of obesity, and scientists at the University believe the study could even lead to a caffeine-based anti-obesity pill being created in future.
“Oxytocin is a critical mediator of the anti-obesity effect of caffeine,” Professor Zhang, the study’s lead author, noted.
“Hence, targeting adenosine receptors by caffeine or its derivatives could represent a relevant strategy to counteract obesity and related comorbidities [illnesses].”
Though keep in mind that the amount these mice were being injected with was extremely high – 60mg/kg, which is between 24 and 36 cups of coffee for humans.
And considering that even a few too many cups of coffee a day doesn’t sit always sit well in one’s stomach anyway, well, maybe you should think before emptying your coffee jar.
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