12/10/07

A study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology reports caffeine’s benefit in slenderizing thighs.

The Brazilian researchers studied 99 women treated with a cream consisting mostly of a 7% caffeine solution. The women used the cream twice daily for 30 days.

When the researchers took their subjects’ measurements at the end of the study, the slimming effect was clear. More than 80% of the women had a reduction in the circumference of their upper and lower thighs; 68% also reduced their hip measurements.

Whether caffeine banishes cellulite is less clear. The researchers assessed cellulite changes with a handheld imaging instrument that reveals microcirculation in fat tissue. Imaging showed little change in cellulite even in the hips and thighs that slimmed down. The researchers speculate that the 30-day trial might not have been long enough for the cream to act on cellulite.

"This is no cure for cellulite," says lead researcher Omar Lupi of the Federal University of then State of Rio de Janeiro. "But it can help women who want to look thinner. Exercise is still the best way to go."

[www.medicalnewstoday.com, December 9, 2007]