Effects of “Coffee Beverage” Containing Mannooligosaccharides from Coffee on Human Abdominal Fat by Long Term Ingestion

Abstract

In the coffee beverage industry, spent coffee grounds are generally used as fuel or treated as an industrial waste. Spent coffee grounds contain a large amount of β-rnannan, which can be turned to mannooligosaceharide (MOS) by thermal hydrolysis. The authors have investigated physiological functions of MOS to utilize by-products of coffee industry. In this study, we investigated the effects of liquid coffee containing MOS from spent coffee grouilds on human blood lipid levels and body fat. Thirty volunteers were selected as subjects for the test. They belonged to obese category 1 (25 kg/m²≤BMI<30 kg/m²) according to the standard of Japan Society for the Study of Obesity. They were divided into two groups for a double-blind designed test. One group ingested 300 ml of the test coffee beverage (containing MOS 3.0 g) per day for 12 weeks. Another groin ingested 300 ml of the control coffee beverage (containing corn syrup solid instead of MOS) as a placebo beverage. The subjects underwent a medical and physical examination from a doctor, the collection of blood and urine sainples after fasting, and the measureinent of abdominal fat areas using computed tornographic scanning at the start day and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after. Abdominal total fat area, subcutaneous fat area and visceral fat area in the MOS group were reduced significantly compared to the control group. The results showed that the administration of this test beverage (administration of MOS; 3 g/day) is promising as a means of reducing abdominal fat.