Last week, we told you about a study which showed that drinking coffee could increase your longevity and reduce your risk of disease.
Now, emerging research shows another unexpected benefit from coffee. A compound in a certain type of coffee bean could also help you lose weight and shed body fat.1
The study was performed by Dr. Joe Vinson at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
The team selected 16 overweight or obese adults. The study consisted of three six-week periods. The subjects did not change their diet or exercise schedule in any way. But during each observation period, they received either a high dose of this certain coffee extract (1,050 mg), a low dose extract (700 mg), or a placebo. A two week “washout” period followed each session to clean out their systems.
The results – as published in Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity – revealed that the volunteers lost an average of 17 pounds! Body weight decreased an average of 10.5%. And body fat dropped an average of 16%. Six of the subjects went from pre-obese to normal weight range during the course of the 22-week study. 37% dropped to a normal weight without changing their diets or doing more exercise!
The was a small study. But the results are significant. What’s more, these changes only occurred when they were taking this coffee bean extract. And the more they consumed, the more weight and fat they lost.
But we’re not talking about regular coffee beans…
These volunteers took doses of green coffee bean extract.
And according to Dr. Vinson, “Based on our results, taking multiple capsules of green coffee extract a day – while eating a healthful diet and exercising regularly – appears to be a safe, effective, inexpensive way to lose weight.”
And it’s no fluke. Other studies show similar results…
An Italian study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine looked at the effects of green coffee bean extract on mice.2 Researchers fed the mice a diet supplemented with the extract. Then they weighed the mice every two days.
Again, the green coffee bean extract showed a decrease in abdominal fat and body weight. And it only took 14 days.
So, what’s causing the weight loss?
You might think it has to do with caffeine. After all, caffeine can help slightly with weight loss.3 But that’s not it. Green coffee bean extract has a negligible amount of caffeine.
Researchers attribute the fat-loss to a substance called chlorogenic acid.
Chlorogenic acid is a powerful antioxidant. But it can also reduce the amount of glucose that is absorbed from the GI tract.4 In a study on humans, green coffee bean extract produced a 24% drop in blood sugar. This was after a meal. And it only took 30 minutes for the results to kick in.5 Japanese researchers experienced even greater results in mice. The extract cut blood sugar levels by 43%.6
It’s no wonder the studies show it can help you lose weight…
You see, insulin is your body’s “fat storage” hormone. When levels are high, it’s virtually impossible to burn fat. So cutting blood sugar can have a dramatic impact on fat loss. And researchers believe this why green coffee bean extract is so beneficial.
But before you start guzzling coffee, you should know that chlorogenic acid is largely destroyed when coffee beans are roasted. So your daily brew is not going to produce the kind of results seen in these studies. There’s just not enough of the fat-blasting compound to have much of an effect.
You might have seen that Starbucks has started marketing their use of green coffee bean extract. They are adding it to their “Refreshers” fruit beverage products. They claim it will give you a “boost of energy.” That may be. But these drinks will also give you a boost of sugar.
So, it’s probably best to get your green coffee extract as a nutritional supplement. You can find it easily online and at most health food stores. Just 350 mg supplies about the same amount of chlorogenic acid as 14 cups of coffee.
There is no substitute for a healthy, low-glycemic diet when it comes to weight loss. And green coffee bean extract is certainly not a magic pill that lets you to eat what you want and still look great. But it could very well provide a boost to shed unhealthy pounds.
References:
1http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3267522
2http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/6/9/
3http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/HQ00369
4http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14522730
5http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20064576
6http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20943752