BMC Medicine: high levels of caffeine in blood serum reduces the risk of obesity

Researchers from Imperial College London have found that high blood levels of caffeine in people who consume caffeine-based drinks are associated with a lower risk of obesity. The findings are published in the journal BMC Medicine.

The study used data from 428860 people taken from the United Kingdom Biobank, a large repository of biological samples. Researchers recorded participants' caffeine intake levels using special self-report questionnaires. The researchers also collected information on the subjects' health status and obtained genetic data on their serum caffeine concentrations.

In addition, the researchers conducted metabolomic and proteomic Mendelian randomisation analyses of the biological samples to determine the mechanisms of the biological effects of caffeine on the risk of osteoarthritis. Mendelian randomisation is a method of examining measured gene variation to investigate causal relationships between a risk factor and a trait of interest (most commonly, disease) to scientists.

The results showed that high blood levels of caffeine in people who regularly consumed caffeine-based beverages were associated with a lower risk of obesity. Reduced body weight due to caffeine consumption was also responsible for an indirect 33% reduction in the risk of osteoarthritis.

Scientists noted that such a positive effect of caffeine may be associated with an improvement in the lipid profile (the content of fats of different fractions in the blood serum), a decrease in chronic inflammation in the body and changes in the metabolism of glycogen (this substance serves as a depot of glucose in the body).

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