Abstract

Many in vitro and in vivo studies support that green coffee polyphenols (GCP) and beta-glucans (BG) present important hypolipidaemic and hypoglycaemic effects. However, their weight-management/-reducing properties are less clear. Considering that these compounds act on different metabolic pathways, their combination could increase their beneficial health effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of regularly consuming supplements containing GCP, BG or the novel GCP/BG combination on body composition in overweight/obese subjects without changing their dietary and physical activity habits, hence addressing the difficulty to adapt to lifestyle changes. A randomised, cross-over, blind trial was carried out in 29 volunteers who consumed GCP (300 mg), BG (2.5 g) or GCP/BG (300 mg + 2.5 g) twice a day for 8 weeks. At the beginning and end of each of the interventions, body weight, body mass index, body fat%, intracellular and extracellular water, skinfolds (tricipital, bicipital, subscapularis, suprailiac, leg and thigh) and body circumferences (waist, hip, thigh, calf, branchial) were measured. Along the study, volunteers filled out 72 h dietary records, and physical activity was measured using accelerometers. The results show that dietary intake and physical activity were unchanged throughout the study; however, there were no changes in any of the body composition parameters analysed with any of the food supplements. In conclusion, the regular intake of GCP, BG and GCP/BG, without changes in diet and physical activity, is not an efficient strategy to lose weight or induce other positive changes in body composition, although results should be taken with caution as the study was underpowered.

Highlights

  • Obesity is more than an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure; thanks to the continuous scientific advances in the field, it is known that obesity is a multifactorial disease involving genetic, epigenetic, environmental and socio-economic factors [1]

  • Obesity is associated with diverse comorbidities, the most important being coronary disease, cerebrovascular accidents, hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, systemic inflammation, disorders of the locomotive system such as osteoarthritis, and even some types of neoplasms

  • There are numerous supplements for weight loss based on dietary fibre (DF) or polyphenol (PP) rich plant extracts

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Summary

Introduction

In view of the alarming increase in the number of cases and the long-term health and socio-economic, among others, repercussions of obesity and obesity-associated non-communicable diseases, new strategies are required, for people with overweight and obesity who present difficulties in adapting to dietary changes and increasing physical activity. In this context, food supplements are challenging tools thanks to their high content in bioactive compounds with beneficial health effects. These naturally derived food supplements may reduce energy intake [4] or induce satiety [3]

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