Recent Study Shows Coffee to Be a Successful Weight Loss Tool
Although we’ve made a lot of assumptions in the past about coffee’s ability to help us shed the pounds, only recently have studies begun to prove these assumptions to be correct. One recent study published in the popular French science magazine Phytothérapie, found some fairly surprising evidence of weight loss properties associated with coffee.
The study was conducted with two separate groups, the first receiving 400 mg of decaffeinated green bean extract daily, while the other group was given a placebo. The study was run for 60 days and at the end, the group who were given the coffee bean extract had lost a total of 5.7 percent of their previous bodyweight.
This study goes against prior ideas that coffee was just a myth in terms of its weight loss properties. Compared to a New York Times article written back in 2008, this study is a complete contradiction. The New York Times cited a study that ran over 12 years with over 58,000 participants, where the results of an increased caffeine intake led surprisingly to the participants gaining weight instead.
Although it would be hard to compare the two studies, it’s fairly clear that it’s more likely the myth of coffee having the ability to help the person lose weight is closely linked to the focus on caffeine with its ability to increase metabolism and not on its antioxidant properties.
What was surprising about this recent study is that the extract used for the focus group was completely decaffeinated and therefore the idea that it’s actually caffeine that holds all the weight loss properties might be considered the real myth.
The Real Weight Loss Compounds Found In Coffee
The compounds found to have the real weight loss properties in coffee are scientifically known as chlorogenic acids, which are also a form of antioxidant. This isn’t a recent find, in fact we’ve known for a while that these acids have the ability to control our weight.
In fact as soon as this information was released to the general public, we immediately started to see a new weight loss fad stream onto the market. Unlike many claims that mention rapid weight loss from coffee bean extract, this study wasn’t able to prove that as a possibility; however, by just incorporating in a small supplementary extract daily, the participants did eventually see results in the long term.
Does a Coffee a Day Keep the Fat Away?
It’s too early to say; however, this recent study has moved us a step forward in the right direction of determining the real benefits of the simple coffee bean. It’s clear to see now that the antioxidant properties are in fact fairly successful at helping us control our weight gain. Whether or not they actually have the ability to burn fat cells is another story and one we’ll be keeping a close eye on in the immediate future.
REFERENCES
- Fox News: Coffee: An effective weight loss tool
- The New York Times: Sorting Out Coffee’s Contradictions
About the author: Josh Stanton is an avid online blogger and product reviewer on all things weight loss, including reviews on popular products like Capsiplex and many others.