Chemical in coffee ‘could help prevent obesity-related disease’

US scientists have identified a chemical in coffee that could help prevent some of the more damaging health consequences of obesity.

A team from the University of Georgia have found that chlorogenic acid (CGA) significantly reduced insulin resistance and accumulation of fat in the livers of mice who received a high-fat diet.

The chemical was also shown to help prevent weight gain among the test subjects over a 15-week period. The mice involved in the study received a much higher dose of CGA than a human would absorb through regular coffee consumption or a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

Although the researchers did not recommend that people start drinking a lot of coffee to protect themselves from an unhealthy lifestyle, the findings could nevertheless form the basis of a new treatment approach.

Yongjie Ma, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Georgia's college of pharmacy, said: "We think that we might be able to create a useful therapeutic using CGA that will help those at risk for obesity-related disease as they make positive lifestyle changes."

Obesity affects around one in every four adults in the UK, a proportion that is expected to rise in the coming years.