Most of us don’t need much convincing to enjoy a freshly brewed coffee, with 95 million cups consumed each day in the UK alone. Thankfully, this is one habit that might actually help us lose weight, according to Dr Michael Mosley.
In his BBC podcast Just One Thing, Dr Mosley breaks the good news that coffee is not only great at keeping us awake, but can actually help shed those extra pounds. The nutrition and diet expert explains how various studies have found the “powerful” caffeine stimulant in coffee to encourage fat burning.
Dr Mosley told his listeners: “Coffee aficionados will be delighted to hear that their favourite brew may even help burn calories. A recent Nottingham University study showed that drinking coffee stimulates brown fat, and one of the main functions of brown fat is to generate body heat by burning calories. Other recent research showed that women who drank two to three cups of coffee a day had less total body fat and abdominal fat than those who didn't drink any.”
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Dr Mosley referred to a “pioneering” study by the University of Nottingham that found drinking a cup of coffee stimulates brown adipose tissue, known as brown fat. This fat’s main function is to “generate body heat by burning calories”.
Researchers of the study, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports in 2019, believe that caffeine’s ability to trigger the body’s own “fat-fighting defences” could help tackle obesity and diabetes.
He also refers to a study by researchers at the Anglia Ruskin University that suggests "compounds in coffee may have anti-obesity properties". The study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, found that women who drink two or three cups of coffee a day had a 2.8% lower total body and abdominal fat than those who drink less.
But it doesn’t have to be a “fancy espresso”, Dr Mosley says. He tells listeners: “You get mainly the same benefits from instant, so feel free to drink whatever you like.”
The “sweet spot” is likely to be between three and four coffees a day, according to the nutrition expert. Pregnant women should drink less, he says.
However, if you consume more than five cups you may feel dehydrated due to the diuretic effects, he warns. Caffeine can also raise your blood pressure and disrupt your sleeping patterns.
Dr Mosley also told listeners that drinking coffee is not only a great mental pick-me-up, but has been shown to boost performance in many ways. These include increasing the amount of fat you burn whilst exercising and improving endurance.
Dr James Betts, a Professor of Metabolic Physiology at the University of Bath, told Dr Mosley’s Just One Thing podcast: “Despite the number of supplements athletes may take, I genuinely feel you can count on one hand the things that actually work and I put caffeine on top of that list both for the size of effect that you get, and the breadth. Most events require a combination of speed, scale, endurance, strength, and caffeine seems to tick all the boxes.”
He added that the best time to enjoy your coffee was within an hour before your workout, and after breakfast if possible to reduce coffee’s negative effect on your body’s glucose control. This helps to boost your calorie output and encourages you to do a longer workout.
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