Caffeine can be very useful for lovers of fatty foods: this substance can compensate for some of the negative effects of a fatty diet and reduce the amount of lipids in fat cells, limiting weight gain and triglyceride production, said scientists from the University of Illinois. According to Xinhua, for 4 weeks the above scientists kept rats on a diet that included 40% fat, 45% carbohydrates and 15% protein. Animals also took one form of caffeine in an amount equivalent to 4 cups of coffee.

Caffeine reduced lipid accumulation in fat cells by 20–41%. So, rodents that received caffeine from mate gained 16% less weight and 22% less fat than other individuals. Scientists also found that the expression of several genes associated with obesity and lipid metabolism was changing, including the Fasn genes and Lpl.

An experiment with cell cultures also showed that caffeine reduced Fasn expression by 31-39% and Lpl expression by 51-69%. As you know, a decrease in the expression of Fasn and 2 other genes causes a decrease in the production of low density lipoproteins and triglycerides in the liver.