DOES COFFEE HELP WEIGHT LOSS? GET THE FACTS

DOES COFFEE HELP WEIGHT LOSS? GET THE FACTS SUMMARY 

• A common question asked by many dieters is does coffee help weight loss?

• Increasing coffee consumption from low to moderate was associated with increased fat loss.

• High Coffee consumption was not seen to result in more fat loss.

• Decaf coffee was not associated with fat loss.

Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world. Caffeine is most commonly consumed in drinks such as coffee, tea, and chocolate. Most bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts will consume caffeine pills, pre-workouts, and fat burners that contain caffeine to improve performance, burn fat and increase mental focus. A previous article on Evidence Based Muscle reported that increased caffeine consumption was associated with greater increases in muscle mass.

As opposed to the previous dogma that coffee is bad for weight loss and health, new research has shown that moderate coffee consumption has health benefits such as reducing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. (Grosso et al., 2017) Drinking a cup of coffee has also been shown to reduce certain age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, and reduce early death. (Chen et al., 2022) Furthermore, some studies suggest that a caffeine weight loss connection exists. (Reza Tabrizi et al., 2019)

CAFFEINE PILLS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Caffeine has several mechanisms which it may contribute to your weight loss goals. When combined with exercise has been shown to increase calories burned by anywhere from 60-150 calories per day. (Astrup et al., 1990; Dulloo et al., 1989) Caffeine may be advantageous for weight loss when combined with a reduced-calorie intake.

A 2019 review of the literature found that caffeine resulted in reduced fat mass, BMI, and weight. (R. Tabrizi et al., 2019) Caffeine/Coffee has been suggested to enhance weight loss by the following mechanisms:

•       Caffeine increases catecholamines which increases the central nervous system. (Glade, 2010)
•       Caffeine increases metabolic rate and calories burned. (Diepvens et al., 2007)
•       Caffeine enhances fat metabolism. (McCarty, 2001)
•       Chlorogenic acid, a component in roasted or green coffee beans, reduces abdominal fat. (Watanabe et al., 2019)

DOES COFFEE HELP WEIGHT LOSS?

In a six-year randomized clinical trial (PREDIMED-Plus) conducted in 23 centers across Spain, researchers examined whether coffee increases fat loss. Obese/overweight, older males aged 55 – 75 and females aged 60 – 75 with metabolic syndrome were analyzed.

The researchers evaluated coffee habits, differentiating between caffeinated coffee and decaffeinated. They randomized the subjects by coffee intake according to the number of cups of coffee (50 mL/cup) consumed. The groups were as follows: <3 cups per month, 1-7 cups of coffee per week, and >1 cups of coffee a day.

The subjects were classified as low, moderate, and high coffee consumers. The researchers also analyzed the sources of coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea, chocolate, and energy drinks. Unlike many studies, they used DEXA to measure body composition. DEXA gives a more accurate estimation of body composition.

The researchers found that coffee consumption results in better fat loss, especially in the low and moderate coffee consumers. They concluded that coffee may be a potential tool for weight loss in obese/overweight older adults with metabolic syndrome.

The study found that those who drank a moderate amount of coffee had less body fat than those who drank lesser amounts of coffee. They did not find that more coffee consumption resulted in greater fat loss. (Henn et al., 2023) The results did not suggest a linear function between coffee and fat loss. Interestingly, decaf coffee did not affect reducing fat mass.

DOES COFFEE HELP WEIGHT LOSS?

The researchers suggested that an increase in catecholamines reducing fat cell size or the phenolic compounds in coffee may be reducing adipose cell size. (KOBAYASHI-HATTORI et al., 2005; Pan et al., 2016)

The researchers suggested that moderate consumption of caffeinated coffee may be useful as part of a weight management strategy in an elderly population with obesity. Coffee has numerous health benefits and may contribute to burning more calories in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise.

Also, one must consider the side effects of excessive caffeine intake, such as increased heart rate, insomnia, and irritability. The study does not give the green light to ramp up your caffeine intake but does suggest that there is nothing wrong with your morning cup of coffee if you are a coffee drinker.

REFERENCES

Astrup, A., Toubro, S., Cannon, S., Hein, P., Breum, L., & Madsen, J. (1990). Caffeine: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of its thermogenic, metabolic, and cardiovascular effects in healthy volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr, 51(5), 759-767. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/51.5.759

Chen, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhang, M., Yang, H., & Wang, Y. (2022). Consumption of coffee and tea with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a prospective cohort study. BMC Medicine, 20(1), 449. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02636-2

Diepvens, K., Westerterp, K. R., & Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S. (2007). Obesity and thermogenesis related to the consumption of caffeine, ephedrine, capsaicin, and green tea. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 292(1), R77-85. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00832.2005

Dulloo, A. G., Geissler, C. A., Horton, T., Collins, A., & Miller, D. S. (1989). Normal caffeine consumption: influence on thermogenesis and daily energy expenditure in lean and postobese human volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr, 49(1), 44-50. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/49.1.44

Glade, M. J. (2010). Caffeine—Not just a stimulant. Nutrition, 26(10), 932-938. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2010.08.004

Grosso, G., Godos, J., Galvano, F., & Giovannucci, E. L. (2017). Coffee, Caffeine, and Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review. Annual Review of Nutrition, 37(1), 131-156. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064941

Henn, M., Babio, N., Romaguera, D., Vázquez-Ruiz, Z., Konieczna, J., Vioque, J., Torres-Collado, L., Razquin, C., Buil-Cosiales, P., Fitó, M., Schröder, H., Hu, F. B., Abete, I., Zulet, M. d. l. Á., Fernández-Villa, T., Martín, V., Estruch, R., Vidal, J., Paz-Graniel, I., . . . Ruiz-Canela, M. (2023). Increase from low to moderate, but not high, caffeinated coffee consumption is associated with favorable changes in body fat. Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2023.02.004

REFERENCES

KOBAYASHI-HATTORI, K., MOGI, A., MATSUMOTO, Y., & TAKITA, T. (2005). Effect of Caffeine on the Body Fat and Lipid Metabolism of Rats Fed on a High-Fat Diet. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 69(11), 2219-2223. https://doi.org/10.1271/bbb.69.2219

McCarty, M. F. (2001). Modulation of adipocyte lipoprotein lipase expression as a strategy for preventing or treating visceral obesity. Medical Hypotheses, 57(2), 192-200. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1054/mehy.2001.1317

Pan, M.-H., Tung, Y.-C., Yang, G., Li, S., & Ho, C.-T. (2016). Molecular mechanisms of the anti-obesity effect of bioactive compounds in tea and coffee [10.1039/C6FO01168C]. Food & Function, 7(11), 4481-4491. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6FO01168C

Tabrizi, R., Saneei, P., Lankarani, K. B., Akbari, M., Kolahdooz, F., Esmaillzadeh, A., Nadi-Ravandi, S., Mazoochi, M., & Asemi, Z. (2019). The effects of caffeine intake on weight loss: a systematic review and dos-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 59(16), 2688-2696. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2018.1507996

Tabrizi, R., Saneei, P., Lankarani, K. B., Akbari, M., Kolahdooz, F., Esmaillzadeh, A., Nadi-Ravandi, S., Mazoochi, M., & Asemi, Z. (2019). The effects of caffeine intake on weight loss: a systematic review and dos-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 59(16), 2688-2696. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2018.1507996

Watanabe, T., Kobayashi, S., Yamaguchi, T., Hibi, M., Fukuhara, I., & Osaki, N. (2019). Coffee Abundant in Chlorogenic Acids Reduces Abdominal Fat in Overweight Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial. Nutrients, 11(7), 1617. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071617