Reaching for your first cup of joe in the morning and at certain break times during the day is an integral part of many people’s routines. And most people don’t stop at just one cup of coffee. According to a Statista Consumer Insights survey, coffee lovers in the U.S. don’t typically stop with just one cup. Approximately 80% of the country enjoys two or more cups of joe at home during the week.
Not only has coffee been shown to increase energy and focus, but this antioxidant-rich pick-me-up drink may also be beneficial to those who are dieting, according to a new study. An October 2023 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that drinking more coffee can help you lose weight. So pour yourself a cup, and let’s chat.
Keep reading to learn more about this new research, and when you’re finished, be sure to check out This Is the New ‘Magic Number’ of Days You Need to Exercise To See Results, Study Says.
The study:
The purpose of this recent research was to determine whether drinking coffee is correlated to weight gain. The team studied variations in caffeine intake, coffee consumption, and changes in weight by observing the addition of cream, sugar, or non-dairy coffee products.
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Three large prospective cohorts were utilized for this study, including the Nurses’ Health Study (1986 – 2010), Health Professional Follow-up Study (1991 – 2014), and Nurses’ Health Study II (1991 – 2015). The research team evaluated the parallels between changes in coffee habits within each four-year period and similar weight variations. The findings of the three studies were combined, and the results are encouraging for those looking to lose weight.
The results:
The good news is that increasing coffee consumption to one extra cup of unsweetened coffee each day is linked to a decrease in weight (of approximately just under 0.3 pounds) over a four-year period. But beware, because drinking coffee with one teaspoon of sugar added resulted in weight gain over that four-year timespan.
Essentially, if you switch up your routine to drinking your coffee without sugar—and increase how much of it you drink—you can do yourself a solid and speed up your weight loss efforts. Adding cream or coffee whitener to your cup of joe doesn’t seem to result in weight gain, the research shows. However, if you like sugar in your coffee, you may want to switch up your order ASAP.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and delivering compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics to readers. Read more about Alexa
