Ah, coffee—the elixir of life, the get-up-and-go beverage, the holy saviour that can get us through just about any situation.

It's safe to say that most of us are quite fond of a cuppa, especially since most of us have come to count on it and rely on it to get us through our day.

But it's not just the energy boost that comes from drinking coffee, it might also help you avoid weight gain.

Recent research examining the effects of coffee and caffeine on weight gain found that drinking an extra cup of coffee a day may help prevent changes in weight over time.

Researchers have found that coffee has a slight impact on weight gain. Credit: Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash

The study, conducted by a group of researchers from the United States and published in the British Medical Journal, examined three large studies with more than 230,000 participants in total.

Two of the studies looked into chronic disease risk in women, while the other studied the health outcomes of male health professionals.

Each participant completed a baseline questionnaire at the start of the studies. Over the course of four years, they all reported their food and drink intake and their self-reported weight by filling out questionnaires at each four-year interval.

Using the combined datasets, researchers compared changes in coffee intake with how much weight the participants gained over time.

The researchers found that drinking an extra cup of coffee (caffeinated or decaffeinated) was linked to gaining 0.12 kg less weight than expected over the four years, while adding creamer (milk) or a non-dairy alternative didn’t significantly impact this weight change.

On the other hand, adding sugar (one teaspoon) to coffee was linked to a weight gain that was 0.09 kg more than expected over the four years.

These associations were especially strong in those who were younger and had a higher body mass index at the beginning of the studies.

So, what are the possible reasons coffee could prevent weight gain?

Firstly, caffeine has been found to temporarily reduce appetite, potentially leading to reduced energy intake.

Coffee is also often had before exercising as a stimulant, as research has shown that it can improve workout performance—and, as we all know, the more energy we expend during our workouts, the more calories we burn.

Although the effects of this are short-term at best, caffeine has also been shown to speed up our metabolism by slightly increasing the number of calories we burn while resting.

Coffee also has a mild diuretic effect, causing us to lose some temporary water weight when we drink it. But, as with the boost in metabolism, the benefits of this are short-lived, and the weight will quickly re-accumulate after rehydrating.

If you take away one thing from this information, it’s that there are multiple reasons why coffee can affect weight gain, and you need to take it all with a grain of salt, to so speak.

While the study found a link between drinking coffee and preventing weight gain, it can’t prove that drinking coffee causes this—it’s simply an association observed over time.

Moreover, the effects on weight were very mild. That’s 0.12 kilograms or about 30 grams yearly over the whole period. While this may make a slight difference, it’s not likely to be seen as noticeable by most people looking to manage their weight.

Finally, this study did not consider the variability in caffeine content per cup, as it assumed a standard amount in each cup.

All that being said, drinking coffee will help you avoid potential weight gain—but remember that coffee (even on its own) still has calories, so you should keep an eye on how much you’re having and be aware that it’s not a long-term solution to long-term weight management.

Regular physical activity in combination with a healthy diet should be your go-to if you’re looking to manage your weight effectively, and if you need help with that, you should consult your GP or visit an accredited dietitian.

But if you want to add something to help reduce the risk of weight gain over time, why not try coffee?

Key Takeaways

• A group of researchers examined whether drinking an extra cup of coffee a day resulted in more or less weight gain and found a modest link between coffee and gaining less weight than expected—an extra cup of coffee a day resulted in gaining 0.12 kg less weight than expected over four years.
  
• There are a few potential ways that coffee could help with weight management—caffeine is a natural stimulant that has been shown to temporarily reduce appetite and increase alertness, and caffeine can speed up our metabolism, causing more energy to be burned while resting.
  
• However, the researchers caution that the findings represent an association, not causation—won't be a meaningful change for most people trying to manage their weight.
  

What do you think of this story, members? How do you take your coffee? Share it in the comments below!

 

[Nichola]

The article talks about the role caffeine plays in weight loss, but at the beginning states that decaffeinated coffee also plays a role. That would suggest that it's something OTHER than caffeine that is the weight loss ingredient.