Caffeine is a controversial compound with one-half of the population blaming it for anxiety and jitteriness and the other half loving it for alertness and focus. A new study suggests that high levels of caffeine in the bloodstream may lower the amount of body fat you carry and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
However, adding sugar and fat to the drink will offset the positive effects.
Dr Katarina Kos, a senior lecturer in diabetes and obesity at the University of Exeter, said this research could lead to calorie-free caffeinated drinks being used to deal with obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, the idea is in the early stages and needs more research, reported The Guardian.
She clarified that the study did not explore or recommend drinking more coffee.
A technique called Mendelian randomisation was used in the study which establishes cause and effect using genetic evidence. Two common gene variants associated with the speed of caffeine metabolism were identified. Researchers used these to analyse genetically predicted blood caffeine levels and their association with lower BMI and body fat.
According to the paper published in the journal BMJ Medicine, people who carry genetic variants associated with slower caffeine metabolism drink less coffee on average. But they still have higher levels of it in their bloodstream than those with faster caffeine metabolism. In close to 50% of the cases, the reduction of type 2 diabetes risk is associated with weight loss because caffeine boosts metabolism, increases fat burning, and reduces appetite.
However, the study was done around 1,000 people of European ancestry which shows the sample pool had no diversity.