Article by Tyler O'Neil in "PJMedia":
Don't hold back on that figgy
pudding — just have four cups of coffee first! According to a new study,
drinking coffee can help offset weight gain, a serious problem haunting
the holidays. So if you're concerned about the Christmas pounds, don't
skimp on the caffeine.
Scientists
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign claim that consuming
caffeine can limit weight gain and cholesterol production, even for
those eating a diet high in fat and sugar, Fox News reported.
Researchers
in the study fed a group of rats a diet consisting of 40 to 45 percent
carbohydrates and 15 percent protein for four weeks. The rats were also
given a tea rich in phytochemicals, flavonoids, and amino acids. The
caffeine content varied from 65 to 130 milligrams. The researchers also
gave them other sources of caffeine.
The
rats that consumed caffeine had a significantly lower amount of body
fat at the end of the study. The researchers determined that caffeine
reduced fat absorption by 22 percent and reduce weight gain by 16
percent.
Humans
are not rats, of course, but the researchers concluded that drinking
four cups of coffee a day could help prevent weight gain.
"Considering
the findings, mate tea and caffeine can be considered anti-obesity
agents," Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia, a co-author of the study, told SWNS.
"The results of this research could be scaled to humans to understand
the roles of mate tea and caffeine as potential strategies to prevent
overweight and obesity, as well as the subsequent metabolic disorders
associated with these conditions."
"The
consumption of caffeine from (tea) or from other sources alleviated the
negative impact of a high-fat, high-sucrose diet on body composition
due to the modulation of certain lipogenic enzymes in both adipose
tissue and the liver," the researcher added.
Color
me skeptical. Many of these studies are questionable, to begin with.
Furthermore, humans are very different from rats. Coffee and similar
drinks may offset some of the weight gain associated with a high-carb
diet, but that doesn't mean coffee is a wonder drug that will keep you
thin while you eat whatever you like.
Caffeine may help decrease weight gain, but it would still be wise to eat in moderation, even on Christmas Day.
