let's all drink to chlorogenic acid!!!

I've been enjoying myself, reading the archives at Low-Carb for You (and learning that Stargazey is still around, despite her long silence).  Reading about coffee/caffeine (one of my daily indulgences) was very illuminating.  :-)

Now, i was already encouraged in this consumption by Dr. Donaldson -- his strongest weight-loss regimen includes nothing (ingested) save water, fatty meats and coffee, though he has less-stringent prescriptions for those whose problem is less urgent or more allergen-related.  I already know enough not to take too much coffee in total or ANY non-decaf too late in the day; the former practice so customizes me to caffeine that i can't get a "jolt" when i need it, and ... well, an old broad like me doesn't tolerate high-octane coffee in the late-afternoon or evening worth a damn.

Since i did the food-elimination exercise in January, too, i've learned to enjoy coffee without additives, and this causes me to put it into the "innocent" (i.e., non-fattening) category.  I also like iced coffee, which provides the refreshment of a cold, caffeinated beverage without the baggage that colas (etc) bring with them.

...So i read Stargazey's blog-post, and decided i needed to read up on those other components of coffee which theoretically make it superior to mere supplemental caffeine for weight loss and metabolic health.  My affection for Wikipedia was once again supported, through what i read about the coffee-component, chlorogenic acid.  An excerpt:

Chlorogenic acid has been shown in in vitro studies to inhibit the hydrolysis of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase in an irreversible fashion. This mechanism allows chlorogenic acid to reduce hepatic glycogenolysis (transformation of glycogen into glucose) and to reduce the absorption of new glucose. In addition, in vivo studies on animal subjects have demonstrated that the administration of chlorogenic acid lessens the hyperglycemic peak resulting from the glycogenolysis brought about by the administering of glucagon, a hyperglycemiant hormone.

It could be involved in the laxative effect observed in prunes.

No wonder there's a reverse correlation of coffee-drinking and diabetes, be it ever so small.  And that coffee provides the bonne bouche of "encouraging" the bowels (always desirable to a hypothyroid).

So i raise my cup of Sumatra Reserve to chlorogenic acid -- may our association be a long and happy one!