Caffeine And Cellulite

Caffeine and cellulite have an interesting relation. On the one hand, caffeine has been blamed for helping to cause cellulite, or at least to aggravate its unsightly, dimpled appearance. However, this applies to the ingestion of caffeine. Coffee, tea, colas, and chocolate are popular elements of the modern diet that all contain a high amount of caffeine, which is known to have a constrictive effect on the blood vessels. When the blood vessels become smaller, there is less available space in which the blood can travel, thus slowing circulation.

Now let's look at the connection between poor circulation and cellulite. More than anything, cellulite (or the lack of it) is the result of genetics. However, poor circulation in the subcutaneous tissue layer has also been blamed for the formation of cellulite. The theory goes that when body fluids such as lymph and cell wastes get trapped due to poor circulation among fat cells, bloating occurs. The result is the bulging and dimpling effect of cellulite.

Positive Relationships of Caffeine and Cellulite

Smoking also has a constrictive effect on the blood vessels. Thus, women (or men) who complain of cellulite are often told to cut smoking and caffeine from their diet. Some who have done so say that their cellulite problem has improved as a result. However, cellulite cannot be gotten rid of entirely; not diet, nor exercise, nor surgical alternatives such as liposuction have been shown to have any real effect on cellulite.

Interestingly enough, caffeine and cellulite meet again in another format: anti-cellulite creams and lotions. Caffeine happens to be the active ingredient in many popular cellulite treatments. The belief is that caffeine, just as it constricts the blood vessels, also works to shrink the sponginess of cellulite-plagued tissue. However, the key is to deliver the caffeine directly to the fat site in the form of a controlled delivery cream, and not through ingestion.