Women benefit most with three cups a day linked to a 3.4% lower level of belly fat
Women who drink two or three cups of coffee a day have less body fat than those who drink less, a new study suggests. It appears that compounds in coffee may have anti-obesity properties, leading to a decrease in total body fat percentage in women across all age groups.
Interestingly, it doesn’t matter whether the coffee is caffeinated or decaffeinated, or if the woman is a smoker. The British researchers discovered that women aged 20 to 44 who drank two or three cups per day had the lowest levels of abdominal fat, 3.4 per cent lower than non-coffee drinkers.
The percentage was even lower, at 4.1 per cent, in women aged 45 to 69 who consumed four or more cups daily. On average, the total body fat percentage was 2.8 per cent lower among women of all ages who drank two or three cups of coffee every day.
These findings held true regardless of whether the coffee was caffeinated or not. Moreover, the results were consistent irrespective of whether the women suffered from chronic disease or smoked.
While coffee also seems to have a positive effect on men, the relationship was less significant. Men aged 20 to 44 who drank two or more cups per day had 1.3 per cent less total body fat and 1.8 per cent less trunk fat than non-coffee drinkers.
Experts suggest that coffee could become an integral part of a healthy diet and aid in combating obesity. Dr Lee Smith, the senior author of the study from Anglia Ruskin University, said: “Our research suggests that there may be bioactive compounds in coffee other than caffeine that regulate weight and which could potentially be used as anti-obesity compounds.”
“It could be that coffee, or its effective ingredients, could be integrated into a healthy diet strategy to reduce the burden of chronic conditions related to the obesity epidemic.”
Dr Smith further commented: “It is important to interpret the findings of this study in light of its limitations the study was at a specific point in time so trends cannot be established. However, we don’t believe that someone’s weight is likely to influence their coffee consumption.”
The research, which utilised data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey organised by the Centre for Disease Control in the US, has been published in The Journal of Nutrition.
