Drinking one extra cup of sugar-free coffee a day linked to weight loss, study finds | Ellen Jenne, GetSurrey
A study by Harvard Medical School has found that drinking one extra cup of coffee a day without adding sugar can be linked to some weight loss
A study from Harvard Medical School suggests that coffee lovers might benefit from adding an extra cup to their daily intake, provided they skip the sugar. The research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, explored the potential connection between coffee consumption, caffeine intake and weight fluctuations, taking into account the addition of sugar, cream or non-dairy coffee whiteners.
The findings indicated that an additional daily cup of unsweetened caffeinated coffee was associated with a decrease in weight gain of -0.12 kilograms over four years, with the same result for unsweetened decaffeinated coffee. However, those who added a teaspoon of sugar to their brew saw a four-year weight gain of 0.09 kilograms.
Upon analysing the data, the Harvard researchers noted that these changes were more pronounced among younger individuals and those who were overweight or obese with a higher body mass index (BMI). The study drew on data from three extensive studies conducted between 1986 and 2015: the Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II, and Health Professional Follow-up Study.
Participants in these studies completed questionnaires about their daily food and drink consumption and recorded their weight. After comparing participants' coffee consumption habits and their weights at four-year intervals, the researchers were able to determine if there was a correlation between weight fluctuation and the types of coffee consumed.
This included caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, as well as whether sugar, non-sweeteners, whiteners or cream had been added, reports Wales Online. They discovered that an additional cup of unsweetened coffee per day was associated with a decrease of 0.26 pounds or 0.12 kilograms over four years.
However, those who increased their daily coffee intake by adding just one teaspoon of sugar gained 0.09 kilograms over the same period. The study also revealed that adding cream or 'coffee whitener' to your drink didn't seem to impact weight in the long term.
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