Unsweetened caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee could potentially help with weight management

A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition uncovered some intriguing links between the coffee habits and weight changes, and it appears sugar may be the real culprit.

This study delved into data from three extensive prospective cohorts, the Nurses’ Health Study (1986 - 2010), Nurses’ Health Study II (1991 – 2015), and Health Professional Follow-up Study (1991 – 2014), to investigate how changes in coffee consumption, caffeine intake, and the addition of sugar, cream, or non-dairy coffee whiteners influenced weight changes.

The results revealed that every additional cup of unsweetened caffeinated coffee consumed per day was associated with a reduction in 4-year weight gain by approximately 0.12 kg. A similar reduction was observed for unsweetened decaffeinated coffee. This suggests that coffee itself, particularly without added sugar, might help in managing weight. 

However, the research highlighted the addition of sugar, as little as a teaspoon, to the daily brew was linked to a 4-year weight gain of about 0.09 kg. This indicates that while coffee itself seems to have weight management benefits, those advantages are counteracted when one sweetens the deal.

Interestingly, adding cream or non-dairy coffee whiteners to the cup of joe didn't significantly affect weight changes, which may come as good news to people enjoying creamy coffee.

Stratified analyses suggested that the associations between coffee consumption and weight changes were more pronounced in younger individuals and those with a higher baseline body mass index (BMI). It appears that these groups experienced a stronger impact on their weight from their coffee consumption habits.

Another key finding was that neither caffeine nor coffee itself modified the association between adding sugar to coffee and weight changes. This implies that it's not the caffeine in the coffee but the added sugar that influences the weight.

The study suggests that increasing intake of unsweetened caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee could potentially help with weight management. On the flip side, if one is looking to shed some pounds, it might be wise to skip that extra spoonful of sugar in the brew.

Source: 

Henn, M., Glenn, A. J., Willett, W. C., Martínez-González, M. A., Sun, Q., & Hu, F. B. (2023). Changes in Coffee Intake, Added Sugar and Long-Term Weight Gain – Results from Three Large Prospective US Cohort Studies. In The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.09.023