Author-Amut Mangaraj
Caffeine, preferably a central nervous system stimulant has been used greatly for its property to reverse the action of adenosine on its receptors possibly. This consequently prevents the overall effect of drowsiness which is caused by adenosine.
Uses
Most people commonly depend on caffeine for alertness. Additionally, it also helps in tackling headaches, and migraine, improving athletic performance, and memory. There's some fluctuating evidence suggesting if at all it can act on losing weight.
The working mechanism of the Human body
It works specifically by blocking the action of adenosine. It stimulates the central nervous system, heart as well as muscles, and the centers which control blood pressure. For people who have high blood pressure issues, it can have a negative effect, therefore for people with high blood pressure, it is generally not advised to use caffeine. It is a diuretic, increasing urine flow.
Caffeine's effect on weight loss
While overweight and obesity are leading factors for various metabolic disorders, the major concern lies in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Weight loss has been one of the most effective processes in tackling the risks associated with obesity. Research points people who are obese, a weight loss of one kilogram can be helpful with a 16 per cent less risk of developing diabetes.
Caffeine overall has been investigated as a nonpharmaceutical weight loss aid in various trials. One such study recently pointed out that caffeine had a dose-dependent effect on the overall body weight, body mass index, and body fat. The effects are consistent in various dosages, duration, and geographic areas.
Caffeine does increase energy expenditure, with the original effect being on exciting the central nervous system and facilitating catecholamine releases.
It increases the cyclic adenosine monophosphate, this, in turn, regulates the glucose and fatty acid metabolism. Overall, these appear to have a follow on the semi dose-response relationship. Still, on many standards, the upper limit or the point of diminishing returns has not yet been understood perfectly.
The basic takeaway
Caffeine in a person's body does increase energy expenditure and has been linked to giving an increase in internal temperature. It also increases lipolysis or esterified fatty acids converted to free fatty acids. This process is known as fat liberation. But without a proper energy balance method, one cannot lose fat by only intaking caffeine supplements/ products
Overall it might increase weight loss primarily by increasing energy expenditure by about 3-4 per cent a minor increase in fatty acid oxidation.
References
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Hamman, R. F., Wing, R. R., Edelstein, S. L., Lachin, J. M., Bray, G. A., Delahanty, L., Hoskin, M., Kriska, A. M., Mayer-Davis, E. J., Pi-Sunyer, X., Regensteiner, J., Venditti, B., & Wylie-Rosett, J. (2006). Effect of weight loss with lifestyle intervention on risk of diabetes. Diabetes care, 29 (9), 2102–2107. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc06-0560
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Tabrizi, R., Saneei, P., Lankarani, K. B., Akbari, M., Kolahdooz, F., Esmaillzadeh, A., Nadi-Ravandi, S., Mazoochi, M., & Asemi, Z. (2019). The effects of caffeine intake on weight loss: a systematic review and dos-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 59 (16), 2688–2696. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2018.1507996
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Acheson, K. J., Zahorska-Markiewicz, B., Pittet, P., Anantharaman, K., & Jéquier, E. (1980). Caffeine and coffee: their influence on metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal weight and obese individuals. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 33 (5), 989–997. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/33.5.989
