Issue Date: April 15, 2013
Green Coffee Extract Has Health Benefits
Most studies of coffee’s health effects have focused on roasted, brewed coffee. Studies have also shown that caffeine isn’t the only source of coffee’s health benefits, suggesting that other bioactive components are involved. Possible contenders include a family of polyphenolic compounds known as chlorogenic acids, which are esters of caffeic acid and quinic acid. Chlorogenic acids are major components of unroasted, or green, coffee, but most of them are lost during the roasting process. Joe A. Vinson and coworkers at the University of Scranton found that green coffee extracts containing high levels of chlorogenic acids promote weight loss in overweight and obese people (Diabetes, Metab. Syndr. Obes.: Targets Ther., DOI: 10.2147/dmso.s27665). Vinson also reported that green coffee extracts improve the response of healthy volunteers in 75-g glucose tolerance tests. He and his coworkers gave the volunteers capsules containing 100 to 400 mg of green coffee extract. With the highest dose, glucose levels returned to baseline within two hours, and glucose control was improved by 22%.
- Chemical & Engineering News
- ISSN 0009-2347
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