Effect of Nescafe 3 in 1TM and Cowbell TM Sachet Coffees on Body Weight, Urea, Creatinine, Lipid and Enzyme Profiles and Electrolytes in Healthy Albino Wistar Rats

Background and Objectives: Coffee the source of caffeine is consumed globally. The amount of caffeine in food product varies depending upon the serving size, type product and production method (Elmaadawy et al., 2015). Caffeine, one of the several ingredients in foods is capable of exerting a physiological and pharmacological effect. Nescafe is a brand of instant coffee made by Nestle. It comes in different product forms (Elmaadawy et al., 2015). Nescafe 3 in 1TM Ghana PLC and Cowbell Promasidor Nigeria Limited Coffee are brands of coffee widely consumed in Nigeria. From a public health point of view little seems to be understood about the health benefits. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effect of Nescafe 3 in 1TM and cowbell TM coffees on body weight, serum urea, creatinine, lipid, and enzyme profile in healthy rats. Material and Methods: Thirty healthy male albino rats (150±5.35g) were assigned into five groups of six rats. Group 1 served as control fed with basal diets; groups 2 and 3 Nescafe 3 in 1 high dose, 770mg/kg, and Low dose, 510mg/kg of body weight. Group 4 and 5 cowbell coffee high doses, 620mg/kg and low dose 310mg/kg. All administration was done orally, water and food given ad libitum. The treatment lasted for 30days. At the end of the period, the animals were sacrificed and blood samples were collected for analysis. Result: Nescafe 3 in 1TM low dose cause significant (p<0.01) increase in body weight while cowbell coffee TM treated groups caused a decrease in body weight. There was an increase in AST, creatinine, HDL, serum urea, K+, HCO3- levels in Nescafe 3 in 1TM while Na+, Cl- were decreased in cowbell coffee TM compared with control. Conclusion: Nescafe 3 in 1TM coffee caused increased body weight although the high dose group was not statistically significant while the consumption of cowbell coffee TM caused a significant decrease. These differences might result from the composition of these coffees especially their coffee content. Further investigation might be necessary on these brand sachet coffees.