Caffeine and Weight Loss: Can It Truly Help You Shed Pounds?

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Weight loss struggle is a daily struggle we all face. You are not alone. The obesity pandemic affects more women than men due to their diminutive stature and weight gain with each pregnancy. And a larger population of women try weight loss supplements than men (21% vs. 10%). One of the most common ingredients of these weight loss supplements is caffeine.

What products contain caffeine?

Caffeine is a natural substance found in multiple plant-based products. The most commonly known products that contain caffeine are black tea, green tea, and coffee.

Guarana is a South American plant that is a herbal supplement in popular Monster, Throttle, and Rockstar energy drinks, and vitamins such as Goli bites found over the counter (OTC) also contain caffeine. Caffeine is also present in chocolate, energy drinks, and soft drinks (containing kola nuts to flavor). Certain non-prescription medications include Excedrin, NoDoz, Midol, Hydroxycut, and PhenGold.

Does caffeine genuinely help with weight loss?

Most of us love our coffee or tea. We need that jolt of caffeine in the cup to begin our day. That cuppa joe jump starts our brain and heart muscles, increases our stomach and colon activity, and is a diuretic. The caffeine in our coffee and tea can increase energy expenditure, muscle performance, and thermogenesis. The performance endurance of trained runners and cyclists improved with caffeine intake.

A Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study noted that drinking 4 cups of coffee reduced body fat over six months. However, participants likely had body fat loss due to the metabolic changes that increase the body fat loss and not due to participants in the study making diet changes or exercising.

And a most recent study observed almost 10,000 participants and the two genes associated with caffeine metabolism. People who had slower caffeine metabolism ( as in less coffee intake yet higher levels of caffeine in their blood) had lower BMI (body mass index).

So large amounts of caffeine throughout the day will help me with my weight loss tale?

It is not dramatic in a short period if that is what you are hoping for with the caffeine supplement or your daily coffee intake. And we don't suggest drinking large amounts of coffee or tea daily or spending money on caffeine supplements. In addition, though FDA has labeled caffeine as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), there are other adverse effects to consuming large amounts of caffeine.

An 8-oz cup of brewed coffee contains approximately 100-150 mg of caffeine, and an 8-oz cup of brewed tea contains about 60-80 mg of caffeine. Whereas in 2 capsules of Hydroxycut, there are 200 mg of caffeine, and a 6-oz WiredX344 energy drink has 344 mg of caffeine. A total of 400 mg of caffeine daily is considered safe, according to the FDA.

Large amounts of caffeine can increase your heart rate, sleeplessness, nervousness, high blood pressure, and shakiness, and it increases the release of acid in your stomach, leading to heartburn.

Caffeine has a half-life of approximately 5 hours, which means if you consume 200 mg of caffeine at 4 pm, there will be around 100 mg of caffeine in your blood by 9 pm, which could delay falling asleep by 1 hour. And then, of course, lack of enough sleep is part of the weight loss maze; read more.

So in conclusion, let me put a lid on the coffee/tea discussion; there is more for us to learn as we continuously debate whether coffee is good or bad. Caffeine may aid in body fat loss, but it appears to be minimal compared to making other diet changes and physical activity over a more extended period. Moreover, stay away from the fancy expensive Chais, lattes, and mochas, drowning the caffeine with a lot of unwanted added calories, sugar, and fat, unless, of course, the add-on is cinnamon, then read all about it here.