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Attention, Coffee Lovers: Your Go-to Brew Might Have Fat-Burning Superpowers

Tehrene Firman

April 13, 2018

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Can't imagine being more attached to your biohacking Bulletproof habit? Well, think again. The state of California may consider it a carcinogen, but your morning cup of energy-boosting coffee actually provides body-boosting benefits. (Like improved cognitive function and better endurance during workouts—plus, it actually can prevent breast cancer, other studies show.) And according to one expert, kicking off your day with some java can also speed up your metabolism and unleash some serious fat-burning superpowers.

"Your daily cup of coffee can help boost your metabolic rate by stimulating thermogenesis, helping you burn more fat." —Sarah Flower, nutritionist

"Your daily cup of coffee can help boost your metabolic rate by stimulating thermogenesis, helping you burn more fat," nutritionist and health and cookbook writer Sarah Flower told The Express. "Coffee also contains chlorogenic acid, which helps slow down the absorption of carbohydrates, as well as stimulate the hormone epinephrine, which helps to break down fat."

Impressive, huh? And there's research to back up Flower's claims. One study found that for average-weight participants, caffeine gave metabolic rates a boost for up to three hours after ingestion. It also "significantly" increased fat oxidation during the final hour of the test.

But while this news is exciting, don't start guzzling that espresso roast in the hopes of burning even more fat; the benefits cap out at a certain amount. "The fat-burning effect diminishes the more coffee you have, and you could become intolerant to its effects, so it's actually better to choose your coffee wisely and drink only a cup or two per day to enjoy all the benefits," Flower says.

So sure, get your morning caffeine fix, but avoid buying out the entire coffee shop. Instead, swap your extra caffeine jolts for essentials oils to cure that afternoon slump.

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