Scientists from Anglia Ruskin University found that women who drink two or three cups of coffee a day have a lower total body and belly fat than those who drink less.
Coffee is among the most popular daily beverages in the United States.
Caffeine is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about coffee. But coffee also contains antioxidants and other active substances that may reduce internal inflammation and protect against disease.
Previous research has suggested that coffee drinkers could live longer, their bodies may process blood sugar better, and they are less likely to develop heart failure.
Importantly, drinking coffee has been linked to lower body fats. In the current study, researchers aimed to examine the link between coffee drinking and body fats.
They analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants were adults aged 20–69 years from the 2003–2004 and 2005–2006 study periods.
Coffee drinking was categorized as no coffee, 0 to <0.25 cup/day, 0.25 to <1 cup/day, 1 cup/day, 2–3 cups/day, or ≥4 cups/day. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee drinking were included.
The team found that drinking more coffee was linked to much lower total body fat and trunk body fat. Moreover, the more women drank, the lower their body fats were.
Although this effect was not so strong among men, men aged 20–44 years who drank 2–3 cups/day had 1.3% less total fat and 1.8% less trunk fat than those who did not drink coffee.
Furthermore, the link between coffee drinking and body fat was found for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee among women but not among men.
The team says this study suggests a strong association between higher coffee drinking and lower body fats. Moreover, there is a gender difference in this association in general US adults.
The research was published in The Journal of Nutrition and conducted by Dr. Lee Smith et al.
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