United Kingdom: A new study has found that having high levels of caffeine in the blood may lower the amount of body fat and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

According to the findings published in the BMJ Medicine journal, calorie-free caffeinated drinks can be used to reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes, though further research is required.

Dr. Katarina Kos, a senior lecturer in diabetes and obesity at the University of Exeter, stated that the study showed potential health benefits for people with high caffeine levels in their blood. Dr. Kos remarked that “it does not study or recommend drinking more coffee, which was not the purpose of this research.”

According to the lecturer, any caffeinated drinks containing sugar and fat would offset the positive effects.

The researchers stated that their work built on previously published research, which suggested that drinking three to five daily cups of coffee, containing an average of 70 to 150mg of caffeine, was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

This latest study used a technique known as Mendelian randomisation, which establishes cause and effect through genetic evidence. The team found two common gene variants associated with the speed of caffeine metabolism and used these to work out genetically predicted blood caffeine levels and determine whether this was associated with a lower BMI and lower body fat.

People with genetic variants associated with slower caffeine metabolism consume less coffee on average but have higher levels of caffeine in their blood than those who metabolise it quickly.

The researchers found that nearly half of the reduction in type 2 diabetes risk was driven by weight loss. Caffeine is known to boost metabolism, increase fat burning, and reduce appetite, with a daily intake of 100mg estimated to increase energy expenditure by about 100 calories a day.

WORLD ROUNDUP: Belgium restricts federal government employees from using TikTok