Does coffee help with weight loss? Greek scientists answer

October 1st has been established since 2015 as World Coffee Day. The Greeks show special love for this drink and consume it in large quantities.

However, scientists and the general public are deeply concerned about the health effects of coffee consumption. We often hear, for example, that coffee reduces appetite and helps to lose weight, while others claim that coffee consumption can increase their appetite, ie to the opposite effect.

Researchers from the Biology Laboratory of the Medical School of EKPA, in collaboration with the GENOSOPHY network and the University of West Attica, investigated these conflicting views and concluded that the consumption of 3-4 cups of coffee per day is associated with reduced body weight, but only in people with a specific genetic background.

Their research, published in the internationally recognized International Journal of Obesity, was based on detailed epidemiological, genetic and experimental data from 300 Greek volunteers. The volunteers underwent genetic testing with the desire to formulate, with the help of a dietitian, an individualized diet plan based on their genetic profile. They answered questions about their eating habits, appetite and other lifestyle elements that found interesting correlations between coffee consumption, genetic profile and body weight. The researchers also studied the effect of specific amounts of coffee on the choice of type and amount of food and on the secretion of hormones that control appetite, such as asprosin and leptin, in a group of volunteers.

As the head of the study, Professor of Biology & Genetics and Director of the Biology Laboratory of the Medical School of EKPA, Aristidis Iliopoulos, told APE-MPE, "the results show us that coffee reduces appetite and can help regulate weight when satisfied "Two 'genetic conditions': to have a genetic variant in the CYP1A2 gene that leads to an increase in caffeine metabolism and at the same time a genetic predisposition to obesity."

The good news, he adds, is that this "genetic combination" is not uncommon in the Greek population. As the study showed, Greeks who wear this combination consume more coffee, state that coffee reduces their appetite and have a lower body weight than those who do not consume coffee. The research team also found a possible link between coffee and the regulation of appetite through the hormone asprosine, the levels of which vary depending on the genetic profile of coffee metabolism.

"The results of our study suggest that 3-4 cups of coffee can be included in diets to regulate weight in people with an increased predisposition to obesity and a genetic profile of high caffeine metabolism," said Dr. Kalliopi Guskou, the first author of the article.

Researchers plan to further study the types of coffee and its ingredients that have the best effect on health. This study also paves the way for scientists to identify molecular mechanisms for the treatment of obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions in recent years.