Scientists from Anglia Ruskin University found women who drink two or three cups of coffee a day have a lower total body and abdominal fat than those who drink less.
They examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and looked at the relationship between cups of coffee drunk per day, and both total body fat percentage and abdominal or ‘trunk’ fat (adiposity).
The team found that women aged 20-44 who drank two or three cups of coffee per day had the lowest levels of adiposity, 3.4% lower than people who did not consume coffee.
Among women aged between 45-69, those who drank four or more cups had an adiposity percentage of 4.1% lower.
Overall, the average total body fat percentage was 2.8% lower among women of all ages who drank two or three cups of coffee per day.
The findings were consistent regarding whether the coffee consumed was caffeinated or decaffeinated among smokers/non-smokers and those suffering from chronic diseases when compared to those in good health.
In men, the effect was less strong, although men aged 20-44 who drank two or three cups per day had 1.3% less total fat and 1.8% less trunk fat than those who did not consume coffee.
Around 7 million tons of coffee are consumed globally every year.
The research suggests that there may be bioactive compounds in coffee other than caffeine that regulate weight and which could potentially be used as anti-obesity compounds.
It could be that coffee, or its effective ingredients could be integrated into a healthy diet strategy to reduce the burden of chronic conditions related to the obesity epidemic.
If you care about coffee, please read studies that coffee could help lower stroke and dementia risks, and drinking coffee this way may prevent heart disease, stroke.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about what vitamin D can do to your health, and results showing green tea and coffee may help people with diabetes live longer.
The research was published in The Journal of Nutrition and conducted by Dr. Lee Smith et al.
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