Adding an extra cup of unsweetened coffee to your daily routine leads to sustained weight loss, study suggests

Adding an extra cup of coffee to your daily routine may lead to a slight drop in weight over four years, a study suggested.

An additional cup of unsweetened coffee was linked to a decrease of a quarter of a pound (0.12 kilograms) over four years.

Drinking it with ‘cream or non-dairy coffee whitener’ did not appear to affect weight, but just one teaspoon of sugar saw an increase in weight.

It is thought that generally drinking more fluids can make you feel fuller, which may lead to fewer calories eaten in the day. 

The changes were more significant in younger people and those who are overweight or obese.

A staggering 42 percent of American adults and 20 percent of children are obese.

The above graph shows the relationship observed by the researchers between changes in coffee habits and changes in weight within each four-year period. Unsweetened coffee was linked to a decrease in weight, but adding a teaspoon of sugar canceled out the benefit

Researchers from the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, used data from three previous large-scale studies in which participants had answered questionnaires about the food and drink they ate during the day, as well as recording their weight.

The studies took place between 1986 and 2015. 

The researchers compared participants’ coffee consumption habits and their weight changes during four-year increments.

They looked at caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee intake and considered if people had added sugar, non-sweeteners or cream to their drinks.

They found that one extra cup of unsweetened coffee a day was linked to a decrease of 0.26 pounds or 0.12 kilograms over four years.

However, if participants increased their daily intake by just one teaspoon of sugar, they gained 0.20 pounds over the same period.

Putting ‘cream or non-dairy coffee whitener’ did not appear to have an effect on weight, the study said.

Added sugar may eliminate the weight loss linked to coffee because it can be a source of extra calories.

Meanwhile, creamer or sweetener may contribute to a feeling of being full, as they contain protein or fat.

The study only found an association between coffee intake and weight changes, meaning participants did not necessarily lose or gain weight because of the caffeinated beverage. 

For instance, it may be that people who add sugar to their coffee are more likely to eat more added sugar overall during the day, which can lead to weight gain.

And those who do drink unsweetened coffee may be more conscious of reducing added sugar in their diet generally. 

The study was published last week in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.