Green coffee may help improve lipid profile and inflammation in diabetes patients: Study

Patients with T2D are at increased risk of several renal and cardiovascular diseases. These patients have various comorbidities, such as hypertension, atherogenic dyslipidemia, and fatty liver disease, which raises the risk of mortality and disability. Considering the rapid rise in the number of people affected by diabetes, there is a need for pharmacotherapy and lifestyle changes to control T2D in the long term. To reduce T2D complications, dietary modification is also recommended, and currently, most studies have focused on the effects of nutraceuticals for preventing or treating diabetes complications.

The green coffee bean is an unroasted coffee fruit rich in bioactive phytochemical compounds. The principal bioactive ingredient of green coffee is chlorogenic acid (CGA), which has beneficial effects on inflammatory markers, blood pressure, oxidative stress, and diabetes in experiments. Despite the protective effects of GCE in chronic diseases, there is a lack of research regarding the effects of GCE on T2D. Thus, Sajad Khalili-Moghadam, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, and colleagues designed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to assess the effects of GCE supplementation on lipid profile, glycemic indices, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hs-CRP in patients with T2D and obesity/overweight.

The study included 44 patients (18 female and 26 male) with type 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity. After blocked randomization, patients received either capsules containing 400 mg GCE twice per day (n = 22) or a placebo (n = 22). They were followed for ten weeks. The measurements of the parameters described above were done twice; at baseline and the end of the study.

The study led to the following findings:

• After 10 weeks of supplementation, GCE supplementation significantly reduced body weight and body mass index (BMI) compared to the placebo.
• The intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis indicated patients in the GCE group had lower fasting blood glucose (FBG) concentration compared to the placebo group; however, this decrease was marginally significant (8.48 ± 8.41 vs. 1.70 ± 5.82 mg/dL).
• There was no significant difference in HOMA-IR and insulin levels between the groups.
• At the end of the study, significant changes in systolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride level, and TG-to-HDL ratio were found between the intervention and placebo groups.
• The trial indicated GCE supplementation did not affect low-density lipoprotein (LDL), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), or total cholesterol.
• During the supplementation period, there was a significant decrease in hs-CRP level in the GCE group compared to the placebo group.
• No significant changes were observed in the MDA level between the two groups at the end of the study.

"Our findings showed that GCE administration at a dosage of 800 mg/d for 10 weeks in obese/overweight T2D patients reduced TG, SBP, and CRP and increased HDL compared to placebo," the researchers wrote. "Moreover, reduction in FBG in the GCE group was marginally significant compared to the placebo group."

"Therefore, green coffee extract may have a beneficial effect on inflammation and lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes," they concluded.

Reference:

Hedayati, M., Golzarand, M., & Mirmiran, P. (2023). Effects of green coffee aqueous extract supplementation on glycemic indices, lipid profile, CRP, and malondialdehyde in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Frontiers in Nutrition, 10, 1241844. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1241844