Can Caffeine Actually Help Burn Fat?
With the popularity of coffee, more and more urbanites cannot do without the company of coffee in their work and life. But some people say that caffeine destroys its consumers’ physical health and mental state, and hence, it is not good for health. Some people say that caffeine can promote metabolism and help burn more fat. Can caffeine really help burn body fat and accelerate metabolism? Scientists have investigated the mechanism of metabolism acceleration for years, but the conclusive opinions still rest of healthcare practitioners, if they recommend it to the people or not.
The Main Ingredients of Coffee
Coffee is made by grinding and brewing roasted coffee beans grown in many different regions, such as East Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Brazil. Coffee contains many ingredients, such as antioxidants, sucrose, chlorogenic acid, fat, protein, fiber, minerals, caffeine, etc.
The main ingredient in coffee is caffeine. Its primary function is to stimulate the central nervous system, heart, and respiratory system. The right amount of caffeine can also reduce muscle fatigue and promote the secretion of digestive juices. How caffeine or coffee affects the body composition scale can be figured out from the body composition analysis techniques.
In addition, it promotes kidney function and has a diuretic effect. It can also help the body excrete excess sodium ions.
Promote Metabolism
All the ingredients in coffee have different effects on the body, and the most important and most influential ingredient is caffeine.
We all know that the phenomenon of burning calories at rest is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR). Even if a person is lying down, sitting, or technically doing nothing, the body is burning calories all the time. It is because the cells in the body and body process use energy all the time, which the body does at the expense of the food we consume and the energy stores we have. The higher the value, the more calories burned in a passive state.
A scientific study on caffeine and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) conducted in 2016 showed that caffeine could increase the metabolic rate by 9%.
Research has also found that many of the effects of caffeine are mediated through the sympathetic nervous system.
When the body is in a passive state, the effect of caffeine on the lipid constituents of the body can be explained in two ways. First, lipid use alone is not enough to drive lipid oxidation, or a significant increase in lipid turnover will lead to a slight increase in lipid oxidation. Therefore, calorie consumption can increase by about 13%.
In addition, coffee is also a diuretic, which helps the body get rid of the waste and excess water produced, and avoids body edema.
Enhances Fat Burning
The caffeine in coffee stimulates the central nervous system to send signals to fat cells, telling them to break down fats. In addition, caffeine also causes an increase in adrenaline in the blood, allowing the adrenaline to pass through the blood into the fat tissue and send signals to Break down fat and release it into the blood.
Such a reaction helps to mobilize fat cells from adipose tissue and then make them available as free fatty acids in the blood, leading to an increase in lipid oxidation by up to 29%.
A study on the degree of thermogenesis induced by coffee and the effect of coffee intake on matrix oxidation also showed that the degree of heat generation in obese people was less than that of thinner people. The increase in lipid oxidation was 10% lean body in obese people. 29%, the difference between the two is about 19%.
On the other hand, it is also imperative to note that caffeine can increase sugar craving. People who consume more caffeine tend to eat more sweets. It also might disturb sleeping patterns in a few people. Controlling the sweet cravings can maintain the healthy weight management goal; however, watch out for sleep patterns in people who might be affected by it. Overall, people who depend on caffeine intake, in the long run, tend to be more successful in achieving the fat-burning goal. Body fat percentage is an essential component of body composition, so it can be analyzed easily using the latest technology of 3D body scanners like Visbody.
The Thermal Effect of Food
Careful people will find that the body temperature will rise slightly after eating, which is an external manifestation of the heat-generating effect of food. Generally speaking, the increase in body temperature occurs soon after eating. It is one of the reasons why you feel hot during and after meals. It will be more evident in the cold winter. Experiments have determined that the body temperature will reach its peak two hours after a meal and return to normal after 2-3 hours.
The Thermal Effect of Food (TEF) refers to the phenomenon of increased energy consumption caused by eating. Nutritionists call this additional consumption of heat energy generated by food intake the thermal food effect, also called the specific dynamic action (SDA) of food. In food ingestion and the calories consumed by activities such as holding vegetables and chewing, the human body also needs to consume extra energy because of the digestion, absorption, and metabolic transformation of nutrients in the food. This process is accompanied by an increase in body temperature and heat dissipation.
The Best Time to Drink Coffee
After reading some of the research reports mentioned above, do you think you lose weight as long as you drink coffee without exercising? Even exercising alone is not helpful unless you combine it with proper nutrition and an active lifestyle for effectiveness.
Drinking coffee can boost the spirit, increase body energy, and help burn more calories. It is especially suitable for drinking coffee to lose weight and burn fat at certain times.
If you are a person who exercises regularly, it is best to drink a cup of black coffee 20-30 minutes before training or exercise. This period is the time when the natural effects of coffee are best. At this time, caffeine will provide the body with extra strength, sufficient concentration, and burn more fat for the next exercise and promote metabolism. Combining coffee and exercise training will help increase the basal metabolic rate. This theory is also confirmed in the research report on the effect of caffeine intake on metabolism and exercise capacity.
But if you are a person who is not very active, the best time is to drink a cup of coffee after a meal or at the beginning of the day’s breakfast and use it to provide sufficient energy for daily activities.
Runners Should Definitely Know How Coffee Can Benefit Them
For runners, there are good reasons to like coffee. It can make you run faster, improve reaction time, improve mood, and make exercise easier. There is even evidence that it can speed up the running speed of some runners (it may slow down others). But this does not mean that drinking more coffee is better. If you find that your heartbeat is speeding up, then you may have drunk too much coffee. Body fat scales and lean muscle mass is important for athletes and runners since it defines their physical health. This can be effectively measured through the method of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA).
The good news is that a slight overdose of caffeine—for example, if you drink two more cups of coffee—is not dangerous, said Samantha Heller, a senior clinical dietitian at New York University Langon Medical Center. She mentioned that the “Four The general rule of thumb, for up to six hours is the golden rule for measuring whether caffeine intake exceeds the standard. The human body has different intake standards for stimulants. Your weight, genetics, and fitness level determine your tolerance.”
Adam Sprawler, MD, cardiologist in South Florida, said that caffeine could indeed improve exercise capacity. As it can burn energy and speed up your metabolism, allowing you to continue running.
The Risks of Drinking Coffee
Drinking coffee is like everything in life. However, excessive caffeine intake can cause some side effects. It can result in restlessness, anxiety, dizziness, stomach upset, insomnia, irritability, rapid heartbeat, and even tremor.
For most healthy adults, the caffeine within 400 mg is considered safe, which is about 4 cups of 224ml coffee. But not every cup of coffee contains the same caffeine, so it is better to drink coffee. One should pay special attention to it from time to time.
What to Do When You've Had Too Much Caffeine
Typical signs of caffeine overdose are very uncomfortable. The immediate steps one can take at home are as follows:
- Cut down caffeine intake entirely for a few days.
- Drink plenty of water to flush the excess caffeine out.
- Replace your body electrolytes by taking Oral Rehydrate Solution.
- Take deep breaths frequently and try to get sound sleep.
If you start to panic, Samantha Heller suggests taking a deep breath and reminding yourself that the discomfort caused by chemicals is only temporary; after all, caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. “The way it affects the body’s chemistry makes us enter ‘combat mode’ or ‘flight mode.’ So don’t worry too much about the situation getting worse.” Samantha Heller said.
Want to make sure you never experience this terrible state? Then you need to control the total amount of caffeine you consume. “Many variations depend on what type of coffee it is.” She explained. Two to three or even four cups of coffee beans may be safe, provided your tolerance is high enough.
But if you start to feel nauseous, faint, or dizzy, you may be on the verge of crumbling. It means that you have an overdose of caffeine. Although rare, primarily if you have known heart disease or high blood pressure, excessive caffeine intake can be dangerous.
Adam Sprawl recommends that if you feel uncomfortable, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. “Overdose can cause arrhythmia, vasoconstriction, heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, especially for certain people.”
Conclusion
Coffee has many health benefits, but it also brings potential health risks if you consume too much coffee. Although drinking coffee can promote metabolism and burn fat, excessive intake is prone to side effects and caffeine dependence.
In addition, the way the coffee is prepared also has a significant impact. For example, many people like to add some sugar or creamer to drinking coffee. So the original coffee can help increase metabolism. Still, the intake of more calories will significantly reduce it.
All the studies mentioned above belong to the effects of black coffee on health. Drinking black coffee in moderation can increase the basal metabolic rate (BMR), help burn fat and promote metabolism. For obese people, the effect is slightly less evident for thinner people. Ultimately, personal preference decides the use of black coffee, either for fat burning or improved concentration.