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. 2019 May;46(5):475-482.
doi: 10.1111/1440-1681.13065. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Caffeine enhances activity thermogenesis and energy expenditure in rats

Kathryn S Clark  1 , Claire Coleman  2 , Rhiannon Shelton  3 , Lydia A Heemstra  2 , Colleen M Novak  2   4
Affiliations

Caffeine enhances activity thermogenesis and energy expenditure in rats

Kathryn S Clark et al. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2019 May.

Abstract

Caffeine and its derivatives have been used, alone and in combination with other phytochemicals, as weight-loss supplements. Caffeine affects several physiological and behavioural aspects of energy balance, including increasing locomotor activity. This study investigates the potential for caffeine to enhance activity thermogenesis and energy expenditure (EE) even when activity level is held constant. To do this, EE and muscle thermogenesis were measured in rats during treadmill walking regimens, with and without caffeine (25 mg/kg, ip). Activity-related EE was significantly increased throughout the treadmill walking protocol. Muscle heat dissipation, on the other hand, was significantly increased by caffeine only at the end of the 25-minute treadmill test. This study demonstrates that caffeine increases the caloric cost of physical activity, compared to the caloric cost of that same physical activity without caffeine, implicating decreased muscle work efficiency. Combined with the known ability of caffeine to increase locomotor activity, the decreased locomotor efficiency imparted by caffeine may further augment the potential for caffeine to enhance caloric expenditure.

Keywords: energy expenditure; non-exercise activity thermogenesis; physical activity; skeletal muscle; thermogenesis.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have any conflict of interest to declare. All authors have contributed significantly and all authors are in agreement with the content of the manuscript.

Disclosures

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Caffeine increased skeletal muscle (gastrocnemius) activity thermogenesis. (A) Gastrocnemius temperature was significantly higher at 25 minutes of treadmill walking at increasing intensity in the left leg. The final temperature immediately upon completion of walking (B) and the change in temperature from 0 min of treadmill walking to completion of walking (C) were significantly enhanced by caffeine in both the left and right hind limbs. *significantly greater than vehicle, p < 0.05 (Mean ± SEM; N = 8 through 15 min, 7 at 20 min, and 6 at 25 min).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Caffeine amplified activity-associated energy expenditure. Compared to vehicle treatment, caffeine increased energy expenditure (EE) throughout the 30-min duration of treadmill walking (A) as well as the overall average EE over 0–30 min (B). Caffeine also significantly decreased respiratory exchange ratio (RER; VCO2/VO2) in the first 10 min of treadmill walking only; RER during the 5 min preceding the initiation of activity was not significantly affected by caffeine. *significantly different from vehicle treatment, p < 0.05 (Mean ± SEM; N=5)
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