Can't do without your daily cup of coffee? Does drinking coffee keep you going? If yes, then you have got another reason to start your day with your favourite drink. According to recent study, published in the journal 'Scientific Reports', drinking a cup of coffee could stimulate 'brown fat', the body's own fat-fighting defences, which can further help fight against diabetes and obesity. Brown fat, also known as Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT), is one of the two types of fats found in humans and other mammals.
Initially, brown fat was only attributed to hibernating mammals and babies; however, in the recent years, it was discovered that adults can have brown fat too. People who happen to have a lower body mass index (BMI) are likely to have a higher amount of brown fat.
Professor Michael Symonds, the University of Nottingham who co-directed the study said, "Brown fat works in a different way to other fat in your body and produces heat by burning sugar and fat, often in response to cold. Increasing its activity improves blood sugar control as well as improving blood lipid levels and the extra calories burnt help with weight loss. However, until now, no one has found an acceptable way to stimulate its activity in humans."
For the study, the researchers used a thermal imaging technique to trace the body's brown fat reserves. The technique helped locate brown fat and assess its capacity to produce heat.
"From our previous work, we knew that brown fat is mainly located in the neck region, so we were able to image someone straight after they had a drink to see if the brown fat got hotter," said Symonds.
"The results were positive and we now need to ascertain that caffeine as one of the ingredients in the coffee is acting as the stimulus or if there's another component helping with the activation of brown fat. We are currently looking at caffeine supplements to test whether the effect is similar," added Symonds.
"Once we have confirmed which component is responsible for this, it could potentially be used as part of a weight management regime or as part of glucose regulation programme to help prevent diabetes," said Symonds.
Here Are Few Other Benefits Of Drinking Coffee:
May Help Improve Memory
The antioxidant content in caffeine is often said to play a positive role in brain health. Its intake is associated with protection against neurodegenerative diseases, which may help improve memory and cognition.
May Promote Better Physical Performance
Coffee may even help you stay active and promote higher levels of energy and physical performance, due to its caffeine content.
However, one must practice moderation and should not go overboard with it as excess of anything can turn out to be bad for health.