The Supplement: Chlorogenic Acid
What is it? Chlorogenic acid is a polyphenol, a naturally-ocurring chemical found in plants. It has antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Food sources: The most abundant and most popular source of chlorogenic acid is coffee. Other sources include tea, wine, apples, pears, eggplant, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, and potatoes.
Link with glycemic control: Chlorogenic acid appears to slow down, not necessarily prevent, the absorption of glucose in the GI tract. Chlorogenic acid can reduce insulin and glucose spikes after a meal without affecting overall levels of insulin. Researchers believe glucose spikes are reduced because chlorogenic acid appears to delay the absorption of glucose in the intestines. In fact, a study challenged healthy volunteers with glucose containing drinks and found a reduction in the absorption of glucose by almost 7% when they were supplemented with chlorogenic acid.
Does this make chlorogenic acid effective for weight loss and weight management? Researchers believe that because it reduces the uptake of glucose from the intestines, less calories are taken in from carbohydrates. This may be a possible way chlorogenic acid may influence weight.
Bonus Points for Chlorogenic Acid: As an added bonus to its beneficial effect on post-meal blood sugar levels, chlorogenic acid also has shown powerful antioxidant effects and beneficial effects on blood lipid levels.
References
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Liang, N., & Kitts, D. D. (2015). Role of Chlorogenic Acids in Controlling Oxidative and Inflammatory Stress Conditions. Nutrients, 8(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8010016
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