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Drink up but hold the sugar: Unsweetened coffee linked to weight reduction, study reveals

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Drink up but hold the sugar: Unsweetened coffee linked to weight reduction, study reveals

A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that a rise in unsweetened coffee consumption reduces the chance of body weight gain.

Study: Changes in Coffee Intake, Added Sugar and Long-Term Weight Gain – Results from Three Large Prospective US Cohort Studies. Image Credit: i really like coffee / Shutterstock.com

Background

Every day coffee consumption can reduce the chance of chronic diseases, including heart problems, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers. Coffee consumption also reduces disease-specific and all-cause mortalities. Evidence indicates that coffee exerts health advantages mainly by activating the sympathetic nervous system and increasing energy expenditure.

Coffee is usually consumed with added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or creamer. These ingredients are related to various antagonistic health effects, including body weight gain. Previous studies have suggested that the addition of those ingredients to coffee may attenuate the metabolic health advantages related to consuming coffee.

In the present study, scientists examine the connection between changes in coffee consumption, caffeine intake, and changes in body weight gain by considering the addition of sugar, cream, or non-dairy creamer to coffee.   

Study design

Data were obtained from three extensive prospective cohort studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study (1986-2010), Nurses’ Health Study II (1991-2015), and the Health Skilled Follow-up Study (1991-2014).

All study participants accomplished questionnaires that were used to evaluate food and beverage intake over the previous yr at baseline and each 4 years during follow-up visits. The consumption of each decaffeinated and caffeinated coffee, in addition to the habits of adding sugar, cream, and non-sweeteners to coffee, were considered within the analyses.

Appropriate statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the connection between coffee consumption changes and concurrent body weight changes during each four-year period.

Vital observations

A complete of 48,891 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study, 83,464 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study II, and 22,863 participants from the Health Skilled Follow-up Study were included within the evaluation. The common four-year weight gain in these cohorts was 1.2, 1.7, and 0.8 kg, respectively. The differences in participants’ age and sex is perhaps liable for the observed differences in weight gain amongst these cohorts.

A minimal change in coffee consumption overall four-year periods was observed in each cohort. More specifically, the change was about two cups every day.

No change in the typical baseline level of adding sugar was observed over the four-year periods. Over 80% of the study participants reported not changing their habit of adding sugar over the study period.

Association between coffee consumption and body weight change

The evaluation of average changes in coffee consumption and body weight over 4 years revealed that a rise of 1 cup of unsweetened caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee day by day is related to a moderate reduction in weight gain of about 0.12 kg.

Comparatively, a rise in adding one teaspoon of sugar to any food or beverage every day was related to a weight gain of 0.09 kg over the four-year period. No significant association was observed between adding cream or non-dairy creamer and weight gain.

The observed associations between changes in coffee or added sugar consumption and body weight changes were more pronounced amongst obese or obese participants and younger participants.

Considering caffeine consumption individually, the present study revealed that a rise in caffeine intake by 100 mg day by day is related to a discount in weight gain by 0.08 kg. These findings were just like those observed for caffeinated coffee.

The robustness of all observed associations was further confirmed by sensitivity analyses, which adjusted for certain dietary variables, including changes within the intake of fruits, vegetables, grains, fibers, meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products.

No changes within the observed associations were reported after excluding participants who added greater than five teaspoons of sugar to foods or beverages or after restricting the analyses to participants who drank no less than one cup of coffee firstly and at the top of every four-year period.

Study significance

Increasing the consumption of unsweetened caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee is perhaps effective for body weight management. Nevertheless, adding sugar to coffee can largely attenuate the health advantages of coffee consumption.

Journal reference:

  • Henn, M., Glenn, A. J., Willett, W. C., et al. (2023). Changes in Coffee Intake, Added Sugar and Long-Term Weight Gain – Results from Three Large Prospective US Cohort Studies. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.09.023.

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