Objectives　Coffee contains several polyphenols, the majority of which are chlorogenic acids. Several components of the polyphenols have been shown to have the visceral fat-reducing effects. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the continuous consumption of coffee on body fat, particularly abdominal visceral fat.
Methods　A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention study was conducted on Japanese adults with a BMI of 25 to＜30 kg/m² and an abdominal visceral fat area of 80 to＜170 cm². During 12 weeks of the test beverage ingestion period, the subjects ingested either active or placebo beverage（chlorogenic acids contents per 185 g coffee：297 mg for active, 2 mg for placebo）daily.
Results　A total of 125 participants who met the inclusion criteria at the screening（conducted at week−4）were allocated to either of the two beverage groups. Data were analyzed using per-protocol analysis set of 109 subjects（active group；n＝53, placebo group；n＝56）. After 12 weeks of beverage consumption, changes from week-0 values（active vs. placebo, mean±standard error）in visceral fat area（−4.4±2.1 vs. 3.6±2.3 cm²）, waist circumference（−1.8±0.2 vs. 0.0±0.2 cm）, and BMI（−0.6±0.1 vs. −0.1±0.1 kg/m²）were greater in the active group than in the placebo group. No serious adverse events or clinically relevant abnormal changes in the blood and urine parameters were observed with both groups.
Conclusions　These findings suggested that continuous consumption of coffee chlorogenic acids safely reduces body fat, particularly the abdominal fat including visceral fat.