In a recent study published in NutrientsResearchers visually assessed the association between caffeine intake and fat oxidation to identify the most common themes and guide future research, emphasizing the importance of balancing caffeine intake and fat oxidation. oxidation of fats.
Study: Research trends on the effect of caffeine consumption on fat oxidation: a bibliometric and visual analysis. Image Credit: Volgastudio/Shutterstock.com
Background
Caffeine consumption is growing in popularity due to its possible health benefits, particularly in terms of improving sports performance. Several studies have investigated the impact of caffeine consumption on fat oxidation at rest and during exercise.
This action stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which increases the release of fatty acids and improves lipolysis. Although this action can be helpful for weight loss and reducing body fat, it is crucial to consider caffeine’s influence on blood pressure and insomnia.
Bibliometric analysis can help determine the level of scientific attention given to caffeine consumption as an approach to increase fat oxidation.
About the study
In the present bibliometric review, researchers studied published studies evaluating the association between oral caffeine consumption and the rate of fat oxidation.
A search was performed on the Web of Science (WoS) database to retrieve relevant records published between the inception of the database (1992) and December 31, 2022.
The number of publications and their citations, citation reviews, H-index, co-citation, keyword co-occurrence and co-authorship were all collected as qualitative and quantitative data. Data was extracted including title, year of publication, keywords, abstract, author affiliations, and document type.
The “subject” selection filter was used with keywords such as “fat oxidation” and “caffeine” for data searching. The review includes data on caffeine administration ranging from “pure” forms of caffeine in tablet and capsule form to caffeinated meals and beverages such as tea, coffee, and energy drinks.
On May 6, 2023, two researchers conducted a data search without language and a third researcher resolved disagreements between the two.
Book chapters, conference abstracts, and early access publications were not included. Price’s law was used to assess the exponential growth of relevant publications. The Lotka analysis determined the authors who published the most publications on the subject.
H-index values were used to identify authors who contributed the most to the research area. Additionally, Zipf’s law was applied to identify the most frequently used keywords in the selected articles (372 keywords).
Discussion
The objective of this research was to evaluate all the work relating to oral consumption of caffeine and its impact on fat oxidation over the last decades. This was achieved by performing a comprehensive bibliometric and visual analysis using the keywords “caffeine” and “fat oxidation”. The primary objective of this review was to trace the evolution of research related to the effects of oral caffeine consumption on fat oxidation from 1992 to 2022, identifying recurring research themes and directing future research.
The analysis revealed a total of 182 relevant documents, with a notable 20.1% increase in the number of publications between 1997-2009 (73 documents) and 2009-2022 (109 documents). The main journals to be published included “Nutrients” (12 documents) and the “British Journal of Nutrition” (10 documents), mainly falling under the nutrition and dietetics category on the Web of Science (WoS) platform. Although collaborative networks often involved Japanese authors, the most prolific countries in terms of number of documents and citations were the United States and the Netherlands.
Interestingly, the analysis revealed a shift in keyword choice, moving toward associations with caffeine use in physical performance, as opposed to its role in obesity. This shift was more pronounced in recent publications, indicating a shift in research focus.
Of the 182 documents identified, 157 were original articles and 25 were review articles, demonstrating a substantial proportion of studies with novel data. The searches were mainly classified into two areas on the WoS platform: “nutrition and dietetics” (108 documents) and “sports sciences” (48 documents). These two categories accounted for the vast majority (85.71%) of the study papers, highlighting the need for research articles to address readers with mixed backgrounds in nutrition and sports science.
Although the number of journals included in the WoS has increased over the years, the data has not shown any exponential growth, suggesting a relatively constant level of scientific interest in the impact of caffeine on oxidation of fats. The peak year for publications was 2014, with a subsequent decline in the number of articles, indicating less attention to the topic in recent years.
Furthermore, the H-index analysis revealed that several authors had collected significant citations, the studies by Dulloo et al. and Graham being the most cited documents, even though they are over 20 years old. The analysis also highlighted key researchers and institutions in the field, which can inform future research directions.
Looking at the keywords used in the documents, it was found that the terms “caffeine”, “fat oxidation”, “green tea”, “energy expenditure” and “obesity” were the most frequently used. However, there has been a shift in the trend towards newer keywords such as “performance”, “carbohydrates” and “ergogenic aid”, suggesting a growing interest in the use of caffeine to influence the oxidation of fats during exercise in athletes and physically active individuals. , with decreasing importance given to its role in the treatment of obesity. This shift may indicate a changing landscape of scientific research in this area.
Conclusions
The results of this bibliometric analysis, focused on the relationship between caffeine consumption and its impact on fat oxidation at rest and during exercise, revealed a total of 182 documents, including 157 scientific articles and 25 review articles . These papers cover the period from 1992 to 2022. It should be noted that the volume of publications in this area appears to have stagnated, with the highest number of papers recorded in 2014, followed by a decrease in annual publications. This trend suggests that this topic may have reached a state of saturation.
Nevertheless, it is evident that the topic remains an important point of interest within the scientific communities of nutrition and exercise physiology. Papers in this area have received an average of 130 citations, demonstrating sustained academic interest. Notably, 52 authors accumulated a minimum of 52 citations, highlighting the impact of their contributions.
These documents mainly found their place in the nutrition and dietetics as well as sports science categories on the Web of Science platform. Collaboration networks between authors were notably observed, notably involving Japanese researchers.
Additionally, there is a notable shift in research focus, with increasing interest in the use of caffeine to enhance fat oxidation in the context of athletic performance, as evidenced by the increased use of keywords such as “ergogenic aid” and “performance”.
Future research efforts in this area may consider investigating the influence of variables such as gender and caffeine tolerance, thereby broadening the assessment of the effectiveness of oral consumption of caffeine as a nutritional strategy to improve fat utilization, given the limited inclusion of these aspects in the identified literature.
Article revisions
- October 16, 2023 – Title has been changed to more accurately reflect the content.
