Good news for coffee lovers who may also be making a commitment to lose a few pounds right now. According to a new study, drinking more than two cups of coffee a day helps reduce body fat. An advantage that especially women can exploit.
Researchers fromAnglia Ruskin University in England they carried out their study by analyzing data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, relating to the consumption of coffee by a sample of people (men and women) aged between 20 and 69, monitored in the years 2003-2004 and 2005-2006.
By analyzing the relationship between cups of coffee drunk per day and total body and abdominal fat percentage, the team found that the benefit of drinking coffee was primarily female prerogative. Compared to those who only occasionally consumed this drink, women between the ages of 20 and 43 who drank two to three cups a day had 3.4% less fat.
Women between the ages of 45 and 69 who drank four or more cups per day then showed even greater loss of body fat (4.1%).
And there is also a surprise: the same effect had the decaffeinated coffee which, according to this study, would bring the same benefits on fat. The results were consistent for both smokers and non-smokers, as well as for those suffering from chronic illnesses versus those in good health.
In men, the relationship was less significant, although those between the ages of 20 and 44 who drank two or three cups a day had 1.3% less total fat and 1.8% less fat accumulated on the trunk, compared to those who they did not consume coffee.
The researcher in charge of the study, Lee Smith, believes that this result is due to the presence of bioactive compounds (in addition to caffeine) inside the drink, able to regulate our weight. In this sense, he believes it is a concrete possibility that coffee, or its active ingredients, be integrated into a healthy diet strategy to reduce weight and fight the obesity epidemic.
Of course it is important to remember to don’t overdo it with coffee and to always evaluate the relationship between risks and benefits, even in the consumption of this drink. Too much caffeine, in fact, could increase hypertension and consequently expose more to cardiovascular diseases but also trigger, in people particularly sensitive to this substance, tachycardia, anxiety or migraine attacks.
The study was published in the journal The Journal of Nutrition.
Sources: Science Daily / The Journal of Nutrition
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