Caffeine consumption reduces the impact of obesity on the brain. This is the main conclusion of a study published in the scientific journal *Pharmacological Research*, conducted by a research team at NOVA Medical School, which, for the first time, establishes a direct link between caffeine consumption and a reduction in the effects of obesity on the brain, such as memory loss, learning difficulties, and other cognitive functions.
The study, led by Sílvia Conde, a professor and principal investigator at NOVA Medical School, demonstrates that a high-calorie diet rich in fats and sugars—which promotes obesity—leads to insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. This excess weight also causes poorer cognitive performance associated with increased brain inflammation, particularly in the hippocampus, a region critical for memory and learning.
In the study, conducted using an animal model, the researchers observed that chronic caffeine consumption helped mitigate metabolic changes and significantly reduce brain inflammation, thereby improving cognitive function.
“If the brain were a city and the hippocampus the ‘central library’ where all our memories are stored, obesity would be the pollution that damages the library. Inflammation of the hippocampus is all the accumulated smoke and trash. So, caffeine would be the cleaning and maintenance crew—that is, it reduces the ‘pollution’ and helps the systems function better (neuronal activity), allowing the library to operate efficiently again,” explains Adriana Capucho, a Ph.D. student at NOVA Medical School.
In a context where obesity continues to rise globally and its consequences extend far beyond cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, these findings provide a better understanding of this public health issue by linking lifestyle, inflammation, and brain health.
This research suggests that widely consumed substances, such as caffeine, may become part of future strategies to prevent or mitigate obesity-related cognitive decline, representing the first step on the path toward scientific validation in humans as well.
“We found that caffeine reduces neuroinflammation but also promotes neuronal activity in the hippocampus, which helps explain the observed effects on memory and cognition,” adds Sílvia Conde.
Based on the knowledge that obesity is associated with memory and cognitive decline resulting from neuroinflammation, and that caffeine is known to improve alertness and brain function, the team of researchers at NOVA Medical School hypothesized that this substance could protect the brain. This is the first time the relationship between these three factors—obesity, caffeine, and cognition—has been described in a study.