Body weight loss and weight maintenance in relation to habitual caffeine intake and green tea supplementation.
OBJECTIVE
Investigation of the effect of a green tea-caffeine mixture on weight maintenance after body weight loss in moderately obese subjects in relation to habitual caffeine intake.


METHODS
A randomized placebo-controlled double blind parallel trial in 76 overweight and moderately obese subjects, (BMI, 27.5 +/- 2.7 kg/m2) matched for sex, age, BMI, height, body mass, and habitual caffeine intake was conducted. A very low energy diet intervention during 4 weeks was followed by 3 months of weight maintenance (WM); during the WM period, the subjects received a green tea-caffeine mixture (270 mg epigallocatechin gallate + 150 mg caffeine per day) or placebo.


RESULTS
Subjects lost 5.9 +/-1.8 (SD) kg (7.0 +/- 2.1%) of body weight (p < 0.001). At baseline, satiety was positively, and in women, leptin was inversely, related to subjects' habitual caffeine consumption (p < 0.01). High caffeine consumers reduced weight, fat mass, and waist circumference more than low caffeine consumers; resting energy expenditure was reduced less and respiratory quotient was reduced more during weight loss (p < 0.01). In the low caffeine consumers, during WM, green tea still reduced body weight, waist, respiratory quotient and body fat, whereas resting energy expenditure was increased compared with a restoration of these variables with placebo (p < 0.01). In the high caffeine consumers, no effects of the green tea-caffeine mixture were observed during WM.


CONCLUSIONS
High caffeine intake was associated with weight loss through thermogenesis and fat oxidation and with suppressed leptin in women. In habitual low caffeine consumers, the green tea-caffeine mixture improved WM, partly through thermogenesis and fat oxidation.
Westerterp-Plantenga
Margriet S
MS
Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, NL-6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. m.westerterp@hb.unimaas.nl.
Lejeune
Manuela P G M
MP
Kovacs
Eva M R
EM
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001481:Basal Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002110:Caffeine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D012527:Satiation / Q000187:drug effects; D013662:Tea / Q000737:chemistry; D022722:Thermogenesis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D020738:Leptin; D013662:Tea; D002110:Caffeine