Obesity and thermogenesis related to the consumption of caffeine, ephedrine, capsaicin, and green tea

Abstract

The global prevalence of obesity has increased considerably in the last decade. Tools for obesity management, including caffeine, ephedrine, capsaicin, and green tea have been proposed as strategies for weight loss and weight maintenance, since they may increase energy expenditure and have been proposed to counteract the decrease in metabolic rate that is present during weight loss. A combination of caffeine and ephedrine has shown to be effective in long-term weight management, likely due to different mechanisms that may operate synergistically, e.g., respectively inhibiting the phosphodiesterase-induced degradation of cAMP and enhancing the sympathetic release of catecholamines. However, adverse effects of ephedrine prevent the feasibility of this approach. Capsaicin has been shown to be effective, yet when it is used clinically it requires a strong compliance to a certain dosage, that has not been shown to be feasible yet. Also positive effects on body-weight management have been shown using green tea mixtures. Green tea, by containing both tea catechins and caffeine, may act through inhibition of catechol O-methyl-transferase, and inhibition of phosphodiesterase. Here, the mechanisms may also operate synergistically. In addition, tea catechins have antiangiogenic properties that may prevent development of overweight and obesity. Furthermore, the sympathetic nervous system is involved in the regulation of lipolysis, and the sympathetic innervation of white adipose tissue may play an important role in the regulation of total body fat in general.

The effect of caffeine on energy balance

“…As obesity is caused by an imbalance between energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE) [36], it is logical to assume that a negative energy balance is required to bring about weight (mostly fat) loss, which can be achieved by either decreasing EI or increasing EE [42].…”

Strategies of Caffeine Loading into Silk Fibroin Film for Weight Loss Patch

“…The obesity is a result of excess energy intake over energy expenditure. Therefore, any substances which can increase the energy expenditure such as caffeine, ephedrine, capsaicin, and green tea can be used for obesity management (Diepvens et al, 2007). Caffeine is considered as a thermogenic agent, which inhibits the phosphodiesteraseinduced degradation of intracellular cyclic AMP (Dulloo, 1993).…”

Expression of pro-opiomelanocortin and agouti-related protein in the hypothalamus of caffeine-administered rats

“…The stimulatory effect of caffeine on thermogenesis is well understood, and reduced food intake after caffeine consumption has also been shown. Thus, caffeine can affect both energy expenditure and energy intake (Svenningsson et al 1999;Diepvens et al 2007). In several studies, long-term consumption of caffeine, caffeinated cola, and caffeinated tea decreased body weight in rodents.…”