Coffee and Green Tea Intake Associated with lower BMI, Percent Body Fat, and CAVI Score

by | Aug 26, 2020 | 2020, Caffeine, Cardiovascular Health

Written by Chrystal Moulton, Staff Writer. This study found a significant inverse relationship between coffee and green tea consumption and body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, and cardio ankle vascular index (CAVI) in participating subjects.

caffeine - coffeeCoffee contains active compounds (specifically caffeine and chlorogenic acid) that suppress body fat accumulation 1 and has anti-atherosclerotic properties 2,3. Like coffee, green tea contains active components (catechins) and most abundantly epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC), which has demonstrated thermogenic effects 4, reducing fat accumulation using a similar pathway as the active compound in coffee. 5 EGCG is also an antioxidant that has protective effects on endothelial cells, specifically in the area of atherosclerosis, by inhibiting adhesion of monocytes 6. Given the protective effects of active components in both coffee and green tea, researchers in the current study investigated the association of daily consumption of green tea and/or coffee on body composition and certain cardiovascular parameters. 7

In a cross-sectional study 7, researchers analyzed clinical records of 232 middle-aged Japanese women to assess the relationship between green tea and coffee consumption on body composition and cardio-ankle vascular index (an indicator of atherosclerosis). All of the women were enrolled in the Systematic Health and Nutrition Education program at the menopause clinic in Tokyo. Included records were from women aged 40-65 years old, with reported menopausal status and completed diet history. Clinical records also included body composition (i.e. height, weight, BMI, body fat mass, etc.) and cardiovascular parameters (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, ankle-brachial pressure index, cardio-ankle vascular index, etc.). The records were broken into 4 groups: control, green tea only (≥1cup/day), coffee only (≥1cup/day), and green tea/coffee (≥1cup/day of both). Researchers conducted a multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine the association between coffee and green tea consumption and body composition and the cardiovascular parameters listed above.

Initially comparing the cardiovascular parameters and body composition between the 4 groups using a one-way ANOVA at the univariate level, height (cm), body weight (kg), body fat (%), fat mass (kg) and BMI (kg/m2) statistically differed among the 4 groups (p<0.05). Further observation of the data showed a decrease in body weight, BMI, fat mass, and percent body fat in order of control>green tea (GT), coffee (CF)> green tea + coffee (GT/CF). Researchers conducted multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine specific association between green tea (GT) and/or coffee (CF) on BMI (≥25kg/m2) and percent body fat (≥30%). After adjusting for age, menopausal status, energy intake, alcohol consumption, smoking habit, and exercise habit, researchers examined a significant inverse relationship between BMI (≥25kg/m2) and both CF (OR=0.14, p<0.01) and CF + GT consumption (OR=0.15, p<0.01). In relationship to percent body fat (≥30%), a significant inverse relationship was observed in GT (OR=0.36, p<0.05), CF (OR=0.33, p<0.05), and CF + GT consumption (OR=0.30, p<0.01). Among cardiovascular parameters, cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) showed a decreasing trend (control> GT,CF> GT+CF) and differed significantly in pre- and perimenopausal women. Setting the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) at 8.0, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between high CAVI (≥8.0) and CF/GT consumption. After adjusting for age, menopausal status, energy intake, alcohol consumption, smoking habit, and exercise habit, researchers examined a significant inverse relationship between CAVI (≥8.0) and CF+GT consumption (OR=0.05, p<0.05).

Overall, this study demonstrated a significant inverse association between daily intake of CF+GT and high BMI and percent body fat. Also, researchers found a significant inverse relationship between daily intake of both CF and GT and high CAVI among pre- and perimenopausal women. Investigators suggested that a prospective study with a greater number of participants that assess daily intake of CF and GT along with serum levels of active polyphenols in GT and coffee to corroborate the findings in this study.

Yonekura, Yuka, Masakazu Terauchi, Asuka Hirose, Tamami Odai, Kiyoko Kato, and Naoyuki Miyasaka. “Daily Coffee and Green Tea Consumption Is Inversely Associated with Body Mass Index, Body Fat Percentage, and Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in Middle-Aged Japanese Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.” Nutrients 12, no. 5 (2020): 1370.

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted August 26, 2020.

Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.

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