Higher blood caffeine levels protect against obesity

Once reviled, caffeine’s many benefits are now known: it fights inflammation, speeds up metabolism, protects the liver, takes care of the heart, and reduces the risk of stroke, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, stroke or depression.

New research published in the journal BMK Medicine shows potential high blood caffeine levels over the long term: they could protect a person from obesity and, as a result, various joint diseases such as osteoarthritis, since excess weight puts additional stress on the knees, hips and ankles.

The team led by Dr. Deepender Gill focused on circulation of caffeine in the bodyone that is “pharmacologically active in affecting body functions,” explains Medical news today.

They also observed That genetic variants associated with caffeine metabolism

and how they affect and disrupt circulating levels of caffeine in the blood, also known as plasma caffeine.

“Using large-scale human genetic data allowed us to provide clinically relevant, rapid and cost-effective information on the effects of plasma caffeine on a wide range of symptoms and diagnoses,” explains Lukas Zagkos, Distinguished Research Fellow in Molecular Epidemiology and Medicine. another co-author of the study.

The first step was to create a weighted genetic risk score (GRS) for plasma caffeine using two genetic variants independently associated with plasma caffeine levels.

The GRS was then used to conduct a phenomenon-wide association study (PheWAS), which represents There are 988 clinical signs recorded in the UK Biobank. associated with circulating caffeine levels.

Using Mendelian randomization analysis, the mechanisms underlying high caffeine levels were discovered. They also obtained genetic data on caffeine in the blood of about 9,900 people – mostly Europeans aged 47 to 71 – and data on body weight, as well as genetic information on osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis.

Higher blood levels of caffeine linked to less obesity and risk of joint disease

The main conclusion of the study is that Long-term increases in circulating caffeine may help reduce body weight and the risk of osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis. Previous genetic evidence has also been found to support a protective effect of plasma caffeine on the risk of obesity.

“In this study, we report an association between higher genetically predicted plasma caffeine levels and a lower risk of osteoarthritis,” concludes Dr. Zagkos.

However, it is important to emphasize that consuming more caffeine is not the same as having high plasma caffeine levels.In fact, those who metabolize it faster tend to consume more of it to have levels similar to those of people with lower metabolic rates and who drink less coffee.

“Although previous studies have reported that caffeine consumption may be a risk factor for osteoarthritis and obesity, our findings make it clear that there is a causal relationship between lower caffeine levels across the lifespan and the likelihood of suffering from disease, and that a behavioral trait in people with more high caffeine intake reflects a lower metabolism,” he explains Medical news today Hélène Toine Cronje.