Green Coffee Bean

SCIENTIFIC NAME:

(Coffea arabica)

The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen dicotyledon that belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Because it grows to a relatively large height, it is more accurately described as a coffee tree. It has a main vertical trunk (orthotropic) and primary, secondary, and tertiary horizontal branches (plagiotropic).

While there are several different coffee species, two main species of coffee are cultivated today. Coffea arabica,, known as Arabica coffee, accounts for 75-80 percent of the world's production. Coffea canephora, known as Robusta coffee, accounts for about 20 percent and differs from the Arabica coffees in terms of taste. While Robusta coffee beans are more robust than the Arabica plants, they produce an inferior tasting beverage with higher caffeine content. Both the Robusta and Arabica coffee plant can grow to heights of 10 meters if not pruned, but producing countries will maintain the coffee plant at a height reasonable for easy harvesting.

What do the beans contain?
Polyphenols including chlorogenic acids (caffeoylquinic acids and dicaffeoylquinic acids). Chlorogenic acids are cinnamic acid derivatives with biological effects mostly related to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Caffeoylquinic acids and dicaffeoylquinic acids are the main chlorogenic acids found in nature. Contains a small amount of caffeine, which has positive and negative attributes depending on dosage used, timing, and frequency.


Green coffee bean extract is made from the green beans of the Coffea arabica plant. There are two types of coffee plants, arabica and robusta... the arabica is higher in quality and higher in chlorogenic, which is caffeoylquinic and dicaffeoylquinic acids, two primary compounds responsible for anti-oxidant activity. This natural supplement has been mentioned on the Dr. Oz TV program several times.

Green coffee bean extract is a new ingredient on the market. Green coffee bean has strong anti-oxidant properties similar to other natural anti-oxidants like green tea and grape seed extract. These beans have polyphenols which act to help reduce free oxygen radicals in the body. Green coffee bean extract is sometimes standardized from 30% to 50% chlorogenic acid, a compound present in coffee which has long been known for its beneficial properties. This active ingredient makes green coffee bean an excellent agent to absorb free oxygen radicals; as well as helping to avert hydroxyl radicals, both which contribute to the degradation of cells in the body.

Common Names:

Green Coffee Bean Extract,

Uses:

Green Coffee Bean Extract research and benefits:

Applied Food Sciences (AFS) recently funded a 22-week study of the effects of green coffee bean extract on weight loss. Dr. Joe Vinson, PhD, professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton, conducted the study and presented the results on March 28 at the “Spring 2012 Meeting & Expo of the American Chemical Society” held in San Diego, California.

Weight loss:
A 22-week crossover study was conducted to examine the efficacy and safety of a commercial green coffee extract product GCA™ at reducing weight and body mass in 16 overweight adults. Subjects received high-dose GCA (1050 mg), low-dose GCA (700 mg), or placebo in separate six-week treatment periods followed by two-week washout periods to reduce any influence of preceding treatment. Significant reductions were observed in body weight, body mass index, and percent body fat, but with no significant changes to diet over the course of the study. The results are consistent with human and animal studies and a meta-analysis of the efficacy of green coffee extract in weight loss. The results suggest that GCA may be an effective nutraceutical in reducing weight in pre-obese adults, and may be an inexpensive means of preventing obesity in overweight adults.

High blood pressure benefits
Clinical Exp. Hypertensive 2006. The blood pressure-lowering effect and safety of chlorogenic acid from green coffee bean extract in essential hypertension.
Health Care Products Laboratories, Kao Corporation, Tokyo, Japan.
Chlorogenic acids (CGA) in green coffee bean extract (GCE) reduce blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats and humans. The authors examined the blood pressure-lowering effect and safety of CGA in patients with mild hypertension through a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Subjects were randomized to receive treatment with CGA (140 mg/day) from GCE or placebo. Blood pressure, pulse rate, body mass index, routine blood test, hematochemistry, urinalysis, and subjective symptoms were recorded throughout the study. In the CGA group, but not the placebo group, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) decreased significantly during the ingestion period. There was no difference in body mass index and pulse rate between groups, nor were there any apparent side effects. Thus, CGA from GCE is effective in decreasing blood pressure and safe for patients with mild hypertension.

Improved blood vessel action, circulation
Green coffee bean extract improves human vascular activity.
Hypertension Research. 2004.
Our previous study revealed the antihypertensive effects of green coffee bean extract ingestion in spontaneously hypertensive rats. We suggested that this antihypertensive action was due to the fact that green coffee bean extract contains chlorogenic acid as a major phenolic compound, and it in turn contains ferulic acid as a metabolic component that acts on nitric oxide (NO) derived from the vascular endothelium. In this study, the effects of green coffee bean extract on blood vessels were evaluated in healthy males. The subjects were 20 healthy males with reduced vasodilation responses measured by strain gauge plethysmograms (SPG) to ischemic reactive hyperemia. Of the 20 subjects, 10 (mean age, 37.2 years) ingested a test drink containing green coffee bean extract (chlorogenic acid 140 mg/day), and the other 10 (mean age, 34.8 years) ingested a placebo drink for 4 months. During the ingestion period, SPG, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and serum biochemical parameters were measured, and acceleration plethysmograms (APG) were taken. The reactive hyperemia ratio (RHR) in the test drink group began to increase after ingestion for 1 month and was significantly higher than that in the placebo group after ingestion for 3 months and 4 months. In addition, after ingestion for 4 months, the test drink group showed a significant decrease in the plasma total homocysteine level compared with the pre-ingestion level. However, there were no significant differences in PWV or APG between the test drink group and the placebo drink group. The improvement in RHR after ingestion of a drink containing GCE suggested an improvement in vascular activity by this component.

What do the beans contain?

Polyphenols including chlorogenic acids (caffeoylquinic acids and dicaffeoylquinic acids). Chlorogenic acids are cinnamic acid derivatives with biological effects mostly related to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Caffeoylquinic acids and dicaffeoylquinic acids are the main chlorogenic acids found in nature. Contains caffeine (I think the amount of caffeine is small but I am not sure yet) which has positive and negative attributes depending on dosage used, timing, and frequency.

Applications:

Capsule:

Take as directed on bottle.

Warnings:

With any herb, there is the risk of an allergic reaction. Small children and pregnant women should use additional caution when considering the use of herbal remedies.