You’ve heard of the health benefits of green tea and its potential as an aid to weight loss. But, now tea has a reason to be “green with envy” of its “metabolically hot” rival green coffee beans.
Seems the bean out-brews the leaf, according to a new study. According to this study conducted at the University of Scranton, “green, or unroasted, coffee beans can produce a substantial decrease in body weight in a relatively short period of time.”
The study was featured on ScienceDaily.com and recently presented at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Head researcher, Joe Vinson of The University of Scranton, told The Huffington Post, U.K., “Taking multiple capsules of green coffee extract a day, while eating a low fat, healthful diet and exercising regularly, appears to be a safe, effective, inexpensive way to lose weight.”
A group of 16 overweight young adults in their twenties took various doses of green tea supplements, alternating with doses of a placebo for nearly six months. The results found that they reportedly lost 10 percent of their body weight.
Vinson indicated that prior studies of green coffee beans and weight loss did not use the higher doses of 700 and 1,050 which were given during this latest study. The secret, he says is in the virgin, non-roasted state of the bean. A green unroasted bean contains chlorogenic acid which is depleted during the high temperature roasting process.
According to HuffingtonPost.uk.com “The researchers believe that the reasons behind the weight-loss could be down to it reducing the absorption of fat and glucose in the gut. It may also decrease insulin levels, which improves metabolic function.”
While, Vinson warns that the beans should not replace a proper diet and efficient activity level, he is optimistic about future studies which may reveal more documented research of the beans’ metabolic effects. He told The Huffington Post that a larger study is already in the works which will look at the effects of the beans on 60 participants.
Online References:
“New Evidence On Effects of Green Coffee Beans in Weight Loss - ScienceDaily.com” Science Daily. Web. 29 March 2012.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120327134209.htm
“Green Coffee Trounces Green Tea In Weight Loss Stakes – By: Krysty Hazell– Huff Post Lifestyle UK” The Huffington Post UK . Web. 29 March 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/03/28/green-coffee-new-weight-loss-food_n_1384970.html
Joanne Sgro-Killworth is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training.
Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com. She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her husband, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.
Reviewed March 30, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith