How Does Coffee Affect Weight Loss?: Check out these 5 ways coffee can help you lose weight!

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, coffee may help your weight loss program. Coffee can increase your metabolism and improve your physical performance. Coffee can also give you more energy and boost your mood. In addition, coffee helps the body to burn fat, because it increases the body’s adrenaline levels.

A few days back, I was depressed about my weight but can’t stop eating. At the end of the article, I will disclose the secret recipe for solving this issue.

Whatever the case, A steaming hot cup of coffee is what you need first thing in the morning. We all know how coffee is a staple food choice for us.

Coffee comes from roasted coffee beans. These beans come from individual plants of Coffee (Coffea) species. You should know about coffee’s role as a stimulant.

Yet, does this booster action help in weight loss? Does coffee slow down weight loss or speed it up? How does coffee increase your metabolism? What other effects does coffee have?

Let’s answer all these questions one by one.

How Does Coffee Affect Weight Loss?

Your favorite morning beverage might actually be sabotaging your weight loss goals. Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and is also one of the biggest dietary sources of antioxidants.

How does coffee affect weight loss? While it is true that coffee can help you lose weight, only if you are smart about how you do it.

The most common psychoactive substance found in coffee is caffeine, which is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance on earth. As a matter of fact, most fat-burning supplements on the market today contain caffeine – and this is for an excellent reason.

In addition to that, it’s one of the few substances known to improve metabolism as well as mobilize fat from your fat tissues. But is coffee actually associated with weight loss? In the article, I show you what evidence is there to prove that it does.

What makes a cup of coffee?

Everyone knows how to make a perfect cup of coffee. But Do you know what the ingredients are available in a cup of coffee? Surprisingly! More than 1,000 different chemicals are present in a single cup of coffee.

Some researched ingredients are:

• Caffeine: We all know about it. This content is the main ingredient in coffee.
• Theophylline: Coffee contains a small amount of it. Other sources of theophylline are black tea and cocoa.
• Theobromine: besides coffee, chocolate, and chocolate milk also contain it.
• Chlorogenic acid: This is another non-caffeinated component. You can find it in both coffee and tea.

Don’t you think after discovering so many ingredients scientists should stop researching about coffee? Yet scientists are exploring other ingredients of coffee as well. Research is ongoing on their effects and benefits.

Coffee vs. Metabolism

We all know about metabolism. A physiological process that sums of all the chemical reactions occurring inside the body. These chemical reactions support life and keep your body functioning.

Before we dig deep into how does coffee affects Weight Loss, we like to explain a few things. The term Basal Metabolic Rate defines the speed at which these reactions occur. This process explains the number of calories you need to maintain this metabolism.

The higher your weight, the higher your BMR usually is to maintain your body functions. Many factors, including genes, age, gender, and muscle mass, affect your BMR.

If you have a faster BMR, your body uses the calories quicker what you eat. Yet, weight loss needs a negative energy balance. If you eat less, then fats and muscles will break down. In turn, it provides the energy required for its metabolism.

So why are we so obsessed about coffee? Is there any link between coffee and BMR?

Well, here is a fact for you.

In May 1980, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study. Coffee and caffeine both increase the metabolic rate in normal-weight and obese people. But, fat burning is more prominent in normal-weight individuals.

5 Benefits of Coffee that Proves Weight Loss

Coffee and Calories

Three astonishing facts you should know about coffee and calorie:

• Caffeine and coffee burn those calories, which are stored as fat or muscles.
• However, It does so up to a certain level. After that limit, dangerous effects on the body occur to burn calories.
• We all know exercise, and a low diet can burn these calories. While researching, we found a fact that should amaze you. A study in October 2014 shows a combination of coffee and exercise multiplies the burning calories. It is the coffee that stimulates the body to burn fats for energy generation.
• Another study in 2014 showed that caffeine with a calorie shifting diet causes weight loss. It also decreases body fat.

Coffee Makes Exercise Easy

Sometimes you don’t feel comfortable going for a monotonous exercise. What can you do? Like earlier, I shouldn’t take coffee blindly. A few facts may charm your brewing experience. Here are those:

• The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study in 2013. They found a worth mentioning fact. Drinking caffeine and catechin-rich teas improve body weight and BMI. Is it a significant one? But it should convince you that drinking coffee increases exercise tolerance and endurance capacity. I love it so much.
• An international journal studied the effects of caffeine on athletes in June 2002. It stated that no harmful effects occur if:
• Athletes take caffeinated drinks in a moderate amount with a healthy U.S diet.
• In the journal Appetite, the study published suggesting that If you take caffeine before exercise, then it makes the personal experience pleasurable. It reduces perceived exertion. It is just wow!

Coffee breaks down fat for energy.

Congratulations! On your fat belly. Here are the reasons:

• An international journal in 2018, studied the effects of caffeine on fat oxidation. It showed that the use of caffeine increased the amount of fat-burning during exercise.
• Coffee consumption makes the body prefer fat to generate energy. Coffee also helps the body to increase the rate of fat breakdown after a stimulus like an exercise.
• Brewing coffee is more beneficial in normal-weight individuals, while Caffeine intake increased fat usage by 29% in them. Only a 10% increase occurred in obese people.

A study also found similar facts. You can go through it to know about How does coffee affect Weight Loss.

How Does coffee affect Weight Loss: A Weight Maintenance Guide

For most people, losing weight is more comfortable than weight maintenance. Weight gain after the hard work of losing it is a horrible experience. Coffee helps prevent the weight regain after weight loss. This is a new hype in social media.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published astudy in March 2009 about it. It concluded that the mixture of caffeine and green tea stimulate weight maintenance. People with low caffeine tolerance and an average daily intake of less than 300mg are vulnerable to it.

An international journal in 2004, studied:

Caffeine and green tea influence weight maintenance. Green tea showed no effect on weight maintenance after a loss of 7.5% body weight. At the same time, caffeine helped in this weight maintenance.

Coffee Suppress Appetite

Long-term coffee drinking may affect weight loss. The study of How does coffee affect Weight Loss is according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Although the effects on appetite, cravings, and satiety are not entirely researched.

The Food Research International in 2014 published a study that mentioned the fact:

• Regular coffee intake may help in maintaining satiety. Yet, no conclusive evidence is present to support this theory.
• Coffee may help decrease appetite by acting as a mood stimulant. It blocks adenosine, and this enhances neurons firing. This process produces dopamine and norepinephrine. This process also increases energy levels.
• People crave comfort foods when feeling depressed. Coffee helps in avoiding this. Another theory behind coffee and decreased appetite are the warm liquid fills the stomach, and research shows it as a possible factor to reduce cravings.

Other Caffeine Effects: Benefits of Coffee

Anti-oxidant:

Coffee acts as an anti-oxidant as well. Medium-dark roasted coffee brews have the highest anti-oxidant properties. This helps in reducing the risk of many diseases, making coffee the healthiest drink.

Vitamins and Minerals:

Coffee has many beneficial nutrients, including:

• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
• Magnesium and Niacin (Vitamin B3)
• Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)
• Manganese and Potassium

Lower the risk of diseases:

Coffee helps to lower the risk of many diseases like:

1. Type 2 Diabetes
2. Neurological diseases:

• Alzheimer’s
• Dementia
• Parkinson’s disease

3. Cardiovascular diseases:

• Stroke

4. Hepatic disorders:

• Hepatitis
• Fatty liver disease
• Cirrhosis

5. Mental health disorders:

• Depression

6. Cancer:

• Hepatic cancer
• Colorectal cancer

Chlorogenic acid:

This component of coffee provides many benefits. These include:

• Mitochondrial protection
• Anti-inflammatory action
• Protects eyes

Increase Ketone levels:

The rise in ketones helps in many functions. It causes more fat to breakdown and helps reduce appetite. It also helps in mood stimulation, higher energy levels, and low blood pressure.

Mood Stimulator:

Coffee acts by stimulating nerves to produce dopamine and norepinephrine. These boost energy and happiness.

Other Caffeinated Drinks:

Caffeine is also present in green tea and many energy drinks. The International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism studied these drinks. In astudy in February 2009, it showed that:

A healthy energy drink before an exercise increases endurance performance.

This truth happens due to the increase in effort. This occurs without any increase in perceived exertion. You complete your exercise without finding it hard.

Caveats of drinking Coffee that shows How does coffee affect Weight Loss

Coffee helps in losing weight and maintaining it. But this approach has some limitations as well. These are:

Excess is dangerous:

According to the Mayo Clinic, a daily dose of 200 to 300 mg of caffeine is good for weight loss. Consumption of up to 400 mg daily is safe. This amount implies four 8 oz cups of coffee or ten cans of cola or two energy drinks. Above this dose, caffeine causes severe side effects. These are:

• Anxiety

American Psychiatric Association has published this book according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders.

• The decrease in sleep/ Insomnia
• Gastric disturbances:
  • Loose stools or
  • Diarrhea
  • No correlation is present between coffee intake and gastric ulcers. It may cause stomach cramps. The stimulant effect on the nervous system is responsible for this.
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Muscle breakdown
• Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Tachycardia or increase in heart rate
• Fatigue
• Frequent urination and urgency

Tolerance over time:

Unfortunately, habitual caffeine intake results in tolerance development over time. The positive and negative effects of coffee decrease overtime.

Addition of cream or sugar in coffee:

Use cream or sugar to sweeten the taste of coffee results in fatigue. You may feel drowsy instead of being active.

The Controversy of Coffee Consumption and How does coffee affect Weight Loss.

Further research is yet to study coffee and its effects on weight loss. Many factors affect body weight. Some of these are diet, exercise, sleep patterns, water intake, and metabolic diseases. The study of How does coffee affect Weight Loss can’t always bring a conclusion.

It is yet to conclude coffee’s relation with every factor and its consequences on weight loss or gain. Every research mentioned above studied only the short-term effects of caffeine.

Coffee either shows weight loss or no impact on weight. The relation between coffee and weight gain until today is unknown to us.

The Journal of functional foods published a study in July 2018. It showed that green tea and capsaicin cause mild weight loss. At the same time, coffee showed no effect on weight loss.

The ideal diet for boosting your metabolism: Importance of Coffee in Metabolism

Keeping in mind the above discussion, we have the perfect diet for weight loss. To enhance your metabolism, you should follow this diet recommended by doctors.

No crash dieting

Eating too little is strenuous for your body. It may damage you more than it benefits you. Crash dieting decreases muscles for energy production. Decreasing muscle mass also slows your BMR.

Take caffeine

Drinking 200 to 300mg coffee daily boosts your metabolism. This is approximately 2 to 3 cups of coffee.

Eat more fiber

Add more fruits and vegetables.

Drink lots of cold water

Coldwater increases your metabolism. This may happen by using energy to get it to the right temperature.

Dehydration slows your metabolism. Drink lots of water daily.

Eat organic food without pesticides.

Pesticides slow your metabolism. Eating organic and natural foods without any chemicals is an excellent solution.

Take a high protein diet.

Your body needs protein to build up your muscles. Muscle mass is proportional to metabolism. The higher the mass, the faster your metabolic rate.

Intake of high protein diet increases the following:

• Satiety,
• Sleeping Metabolic Rate
• Fat burning.

This American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states this. It conducted a study in 2006.

Take iron

Iron is an essential food component. It is present in green leafy vegetables like spinach. Eggs and fruits like apples, carrots, and peaches are rich iron sources. Meat sources of iron include liver, beef, and lamb, etc.

The iron intake is proportional to basal metabolic rate.

Include vitamin D in your diet

Healthy sources of vitamin D are:

Cow milk, soy milk, orange juice, salmon, cod liver oil, egg yolks, mushrooms, and cereals, and oatmeal. Vitamin D boosts BMR and is essential for growth and development.

Take more calcium

Intake of both calcium and vitamin D is beneficial for weight loss. It improves the weight loss effect on lipid and lipoprotein profiles. Obese or overweight people get affected. They had low calcium intake before.

Healthy dietary sources of calcium are:

Fat-free milk, yogurt, fortified cereals and orange juice, bread, grains, and waffles are on the list. Green leafy vegetables like spinach and turnips, etc. are also excellent calcium reserves.

Don’t drink alcohol

Alcohol slows down your metabolism. Avoid alcohol during weight loss.

Add Spicy Food to Your Diet

Adding spice to your food boosts your metabolism. But, you should avoid this if you have a gastric ulcer or gastric disturbances.

Final Thoughts

Coffee and weight loss effects are not yet wholly researched. Caffeine stimulates BMR and shows the short-term effects of weight loss.

It prevents weight regain after losing weight. It acts as a mood stimulator and has many health benefits.

After reviewing the above discussion, we have to come to terms of two things:

Coffee has some beneficial effects on weight loss. The conclusive evidence is not found yet.

Even when coffee seems to have no direct long-term effects on weight loss, it has many other benefits. Its anti-oxidant actions make it a darling of foodies.

Its health benefits are many, and its effect on weight loss shows good promise. It keeps you happy and energetic.

See our supplementary article on the effect of coffee on Health.

At the outset, I promised you to disclose a secret that made me fit. Here it is:

With or without weight loss, you need to add coffee in a moderate amount to your daily diet.