When you’re running around, busy with errands, work and just life in general, it’s easy to rely on coffee or tea to get through the day. According to studies, 90 percent of Americans consume caffeine daily. New animal research is showing that that caffeine may be helping us in more ways than just staving off fatigue: it can limit weight gain and lower cholesterol.

The rats in the study were fed a diet that was 45 percent carbs, 40 percent fat and 15 percent protein. The rats who had caffeine — derived from mate tea — gained 16 percent less weight and 22 percent less body fat. Similar results were seen when the researchers used synthetic caffeine and caffeine from coffee. The study followed the rats for four weeks.

“Considering the findings, mate tea and caffeine can be considered anti-obesity agents,” said Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia, a co-author of the study and the Univ. of Illinois’s director of the division of nutritional sciences. “The results of this research could be scaled to humans to understand the roles of mate tea and caffeine as potential strategies to prevent overweight and obesity, as well as the subsequent metabolic disorders associated with these conditions.”

Looking at genes that impact both obesity and lipid production, researchers saw that the caffeine lowered their expression. That led to the body producing lower amounts of cholesterol, triglycerides and fat. The benefits were seen to be coming from the caffeine, not other compounds within the tea or coffee, as they were seen in both groups.

Because the research was performed in animals, studies with people need to be completed before we can have any firm conclusions. However, the results were promising. Older studies showed that oils in coffee may increase coffee drinkers’ cholesterol. No conclusive proof has been found one way or the other. The caffeine may counteract the oil, cafestol. Of, if you want to see if adding caffeine to your day aids your weight or cholesterol levels, try drinking caffeinated tea.

Speak to your doctor before making any significant changes to your diet. Caffeine can interact with medications or exacerbate medical conditions. While caffeine may help some people, it can be detrimental to others.