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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Sep;23(9):1830-5.
doi: 10.1002/oby.21163. Epub 2015 Aug 4.

The effect of caffeine and albuterol on body composition and metabolic rate

Ann G Liu  1 , Kenneth P Arceneaux 3rd  1 , Jessica T Chu  2 , Gregory Jacob Jr  2 , Allyson L Schreiber  1 , Russell C Tipton  2 , Ying Yu  1 , William D Johnson  1 , Frank L Greenway  1 , Stefany D Primeaux  1   2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The effect of caffeine and albuterol on body composition and metabolic rate

Ann G Liu et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: Caffeine and ephedrine was an effective combination therapy for weight loss until ephedrine was removed from the market due to safety concerns. This study investigated the combination of caffeine and albuterol as a possibly safer alternative to ephedrine.

Methods: In a series of experiments using cultured adipocytes, rat models, and humans, the effects of caffeine and albuterol on lipolysis, metabolic rate, food intake, and body composition were evaluated.

Results: Both caffeine and albuterol enhanced lipolysis in cultured adipocytes. Acute treatment of humans with caffeine and/or albuterol increased resting metabolic rate. Longer-term studies of rats revealed a trend for increased metabolic rate with albuterol treatment. There was increased lean mass gain concurrent with decreased fat mass gain with caffeine/albuterol treatment that was greater than albuterol treatment alone.

Conclusions: In rats, albuterol with caffeine produced significantly greater increases in lean body mass and reductions in fat mass without changes in food intake after 4-8 weeks of treatment. Since caffeine and albuterol are approved for the treatment of asthma in children and adolescents at the doses tested and change body composition without changing food intake, this combination may deserve further exploration for use in treating pediatric obesity.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Caffeine and albuterol increase lipolysis in vitro. Values are means ± 95% confidence interval, n=8. Bars that are statistically different (p<0.05) are denoted by a different letter (a, b or c). Bars with the same letter are not significantly different.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of caffeine and albuterol on human metabolic rate. Values are means ± 95% confidence interval, n=8. Bars that are statistically different (p<0.05) are denoted by a different letter (a, b or c). Bars with the same letter are not significantly different.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Impact of caffeine and albuterol on body composition and metabolic rate in rats. (A) Weight gain, (B) Food intake, (C) Total activity, (D) Body composition, (E) Energy expenditure, and (F) Respiratory exchange ratio. Values are means ± 95% confidence interval, n=8-10. *p<0.05. #p=0.07.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The combination of caffeine and albuterol reduces fat mass gain compared to albuterol alone. (A) Fat mass gain, (B), Change in percent fat mass, (C) Lean mass gain, (D) Change in percent lean mass. Values are means ± 95% confidence interval, n=30. *p<0.05 to p<0.004
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