Green Coffee Supports Metabolic and Heart Health

Every day, 62% of American adults consume coffee. On average they drink more than three cups a day.¹

This simple drink contains nutrients that have the potential to improve metabolic health² and reduce risk for cardiovascular disease.^2,3

But there's a problem. Nearly all coffee beans are roasted, which breaks down many of the beneficial nutrients and reduces their content.⁴

The solution: Unroasted green coffee.

The nutrients in coffee that are most protective against metabolic and cardiovascular diseases are found in greater concentrations in green coffee.⁵

Human trials show that taking green coffee extract can support healthy metabolism. This has been shown to help restore insulin sensitivity,^2,6-8 lower blood sugar, and reduce other risk factors for heart disease.^2,12-14

Metabolic Problems and Cardiovascular Disease

Aging adversely affects metabolism¹⁵ and metabolic health issues are widespread. These may include elevated blood glucose, high blood pressure, and abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels.¹⁶

When three or more of these issues occur together, the condition is known as metabolic syndrome.¹⁷

A stunning one in three adults in the U.S. has metabolic syndrome.¹⁸ This condition greatly increases the risks of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Metabolic abnormalities also accelerate the aging process and increase risk for several other conditions,¹⁹ including cognitive decline and dementia, kidney disease, liver disease, and cancer.

Green Coffee Extract

Coffee beans contain a wide array of health- promoting compounds with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, particularly a polyphenol called chlorogenic acid.⁵

Chlorogenic acid is most abundant in green coffee.⁵

Coffee beans are usually roasted before brewing, which breaks down chlorogenic acid. Green coffee beans have not been roasted, leaving them higher in chlorogenic acid and other bioactive components.

Population and prospective studies have found associations between higher chlorogenic acid intake and reduced risk for several chronic diseases, including metabolic syndrome,¹² liver disease,^8,20 and others.^2,12

Chlorogenic acid displays anti-diabetic,¹¹ and blood pressure-lowering effects that may improve health markers associated with metabolic syndrome.^5,8

Green coffee extracts are often standardized to contain high levels of chlorogenic acid and other beneficial compounds.

Restoring Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin sensitivity refers to the ability of cells to respond appropriately to the hormone insulin, which helps the body use blood sugar for energy.

In metabolic disease, insulin sensitivity drops. Cells cannot take up and utilize blood glucose as efficiently. The result is high blood sugar levels and increased risk for type II diabetes.

High glucose levels are catastrophic to tissues over time, causing damage that culminates as disorders of the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, and peripheral nerves.²¹

Studies suggest that green coffee and chlorogenic acid can help support healthy insulin function and restore insulin sensitivity.

In rodent models of metabolic disease, green coffee extract improves cellular energy metabolism, which results in improved blood glucose control and improved sensitivity to insulin.^22-24

In human studies, green coffee extract intake significantly improved insulin sensitivity and lowered fasting blood glucose levels.^2,6-8,12-14

Studies that used at least 400 mg daily of green coffee extract more consistently demonstrated a benefit than studies with lower doses.⁷

Other Effects of Green Coffee Extract

In addition to improved insulin sensitivity and glucose control, taking green coffee extract leads to improvements in many other areas of metabolic health.

Animal studies show that green coffee augments cellular energy metabolism and reduces triglycerides and blood pressure.^22-24

One mouse study found that green coffee bean extract reversed insulin resistance by reducing expression of genes involved in inflammation.²⁴

Human studies have found that green coffee intake leads to beneficial changes in key markers of metabolism. Among other benefits, taking green coffee extract:

• Reduced waist circumference,^2,8,11,25
• Lowered total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, while boosting protective HDL cholesterol,^2,6,11,12,14
• Decreased blood pressure,^2,9,10,13 and
• Reduced markers of systemic inflammation.^14,20,26

All of these effects improve metabolic health and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Summary

Metabolic disease significantly increases risk for type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

Green coffee extracts containing chlorogenic acid have demonstrated the ability to improve markers of metabolic health in animal studies and human trials.

Oral intake of at least 400 mg of green coffee extract daily may help increase insulin sensitivity, reduce high blood sugar, lower elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, and improve overall metabolic health.

If you have any questions on the scientific content of this article, please call a Life Extension Wellness Specialist at 1-866-864-3027.

References

1. Available at: https://www.ncausa.org/newsroom/nca-releases-atlas-of-american-coffee. Accessed April, 12, 2023.
2. Pourmasoumi M, Hadi A, Marx W, et al. The Effect of Green Coffee Bean Extract on Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1328:323-45.
3. Chieng D, Canovas R, Segan L, et al. The impact of coffee subtypes on incident cardiovascular disease, arrhythmias, and mortality: long- term outcomes from the UK Biobank. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2022 Dec 7;29(17):2240-9.
4. Jung S, Kim MH, Park JH, et al. Cellular Antioxidant and Anti-Inflam- matory Effects of Coffee Extracts with Different Roasting Levels. J Med Food. 2017 Jun;20(6):626-35.
5. Naveed M, Hejazi V, Abbas M, et al. Chlorogenic acid (CGA): A phar- macological review and call for further research. Biomed Pharmaco- ther. 2018 Jan;97:67-74.
6. Asbaghi O, Sadeghian M, Nasiri M, et al. The effects of green coffee extract supplementation on glycemic indices and lipid profile in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of clinical trials. Nutr J. 2020 Jul 14;19(1):71.
7. Nikpayam O, Najafi M, Ghaffari S, et al. Effects of green coffee ex- tract on fasting blood glucose, insulin concentration and homeostat- ic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR): a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2019;11:91.
8. Hosseinabadi S, Rafraf M, Mahmoodzadeh A, et al. Effects of green coffee extract supplementation on glycemic indexes, leptin, and obesity values in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Journal of Herbal Medicine. 2020;22:100340.
9. Han B, Nazary-Vannani A, Talaei S, et al. The effect of green coffee extract supplementation on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytother Res. 2019 Nov;33(11):2918-26.
10. Watanabe T, Arai Y, Mitsui Y, et al. The blood pressure-lowering ef- fect and safety of chlorogenic acid from green coffee bean extract in essential hypertension. Clin Exp Hypertens. 2006 Jul;28(5):439-49.
11. Hosseinabadi S, Rafraf M, Asghari S, et al. Effect of green coffee ex- tract supplementation on serum adiponectin concentration and lipid profile in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A random- ized, controlled trial. Complement Ther Med. 2020 Mar;49:102290.
12. Morvaridi M, Rayyani E, Jaafari M, et al. The effect of green coffee extract supplementation on cardio metabolic risk factors: a sys- tematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2020 Jun;19(1):645-60.
13. Roshan H, Nikpayam O, Sedaghat M, et al. Effects of green coffee extract supplementation on anthropometric indices, glycaemic control, blood pressure, lipid profile, insulin resistance and appetite in patients with the metabolic syndrome: a randomised clinical trial. Br J Nutr. 2018 Feb;119(3):250-8.
14. Shahmohammadi HA, Hosseini SA, Hajiani E, et al. Effects of Green Coffee Bean Extract Supplementation on Patients with Non-Alcohol- ic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Hepatitis Monthly. 2017;17(4):e45609.
15. Pontzer H, Yamada Y, Sagayama H, et al. Daily energy ex- penditure through the human life course. Science. 2021 Aug 13;373(6556):808-12.
16. Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions- and-diseases/metabolic-syndrome . Accessed April. 13, 2023.
17. Bonomini F, Rodella LF, Rezzani R. Metabolic syndrome, aging and involvement of oxidative stress. Aging Dis. 2015 Mar;6(2):109-20.
18. NIH. METABOLIC SYNDROME. 2022.
19. Rigamonti AE, Cicolini S, Tamini S, et al. The Age-Dependent Increase of Metabolic Syndrome Requires More Extensive and Ag- gressive Non-Pharmacological and Pharmacological Interventions: A Cross-Sectional Study in an Italian Cohort of Obese Women. Int J Endocrinol. 2021 2021/04/24;2021:5576286.
20. Asbaghi O, Kashkooli S, Mardani M, et al. Effect of green coffee bean extract supplementation on liver function and inflammatory biomarkers: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Comple- ment Ther Clin Pract. 2021 May;43:101349.
21. Mouri M, Badireddy M. Hyperglycemia. StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls PublishingCopyright © 2023, StatPearls Publishing LLC.; 2023.
22. Ho L, Varghese M, Wang J, et al. Dietary supplementation with decaffeinated green coffee improves diet-induced insulin resis- tance and brain energy metabolism in mice. Nutr Neurosci. 2012 Jan;15(1):37-45.
23. Lukitasari M, Nugroho DA, Rohman MS, et al. Light-Roasted Green Coffee Extract Improved Adiponectin, Insulin Resistance, and Metabolic Profile of Metabolic Syndrome Rat Model. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research. 2017;10(9):279-83.
24. Song SJ, Choi S, Park T. Decaffeinated green coffee bean extract attenuates diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:718379.
25. Onakpoya I, Terry R, Ernst E. The use of green coffee extract as a weight loss supplement: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Gastroenterol Res Pract. 2011 01/01;2011.
26. Narayanaperumal J, D’Souza A, Miriyala A, et al. A randomized double blinded placebo controlled clinical trial for the evaluation of green coffee extract on immune health in healthy adults. J Tradit Complement Med. 2022 Sep;12(5):455-65.