Does Coffee Boost Metabolism?
By Chef K.T.Murphy Ph.D
Coffee has been used for years by athletes and normal people to increase performance, and boost resistance to fatigue, but can coffee boost your metabolism as well? The answer to this is a resounding yes, as it boosts metabolism by several mechanisms.
After all, it should come, as no surprise that there is a reason caffeine is included in most popular weight loss supplements, as it has proven itself to increase the rate at which weight loss occurs. Interested to learn how coffee can help boost your metabolism? Read on to find out!
Coffee Helps To Release Stored Fat
Though increasing caloric expenditure is good, unless stored fat is in a position to be released and burned, significant weight loss cannot be experienced. There are two ways in which coffee does this, and both are attributed to the presence of caffeine.
- Caffeine Stimulates The Nervous System – caffeine affects the sympathetic nervous system by increasing release of adrenalin and its actions of neurons. The result is increased firing and more rapid nerve transmission (which equals stronger muscle contractions).
- Caffeine Makes The Adrenal Glands Produce More Epinephrine – epinephrine is the fight or flight hormone, which is released in blood and signals fat cells to release fatty acids into circulation. Upon release of these fatty acids, they can then be burned for fuel.
Coffee Increases Metabolic Rate
Your metabolic rate is considered the amount of calories burned at rest. It is sometimes also known as basal metabolic rate or resting metabolic rate, and differs based on lean muscle mass and other factors. What if you could found something that could raise your metabolic rate, while doing absolutely no extra physical activity? That salvation is coffee.
A study conducted as far back as 1995 and published in The Annals of Nutrition & Metabolismi (Koot et al.) analyzed the effects of coffee consumption of metabolic rate, with and without caffeine. Subjects given coffee enhanced with 200mg caffeine were found to experience increases in metabolic rate ranging from 3-11%, with much of the increased burning of calories coming from oxidation of fat in blood.
Another study published in the American Journal Of Physiology found differences in the metabolism boost to be as high as 29% in lean individuals, while in obese persons the increase in metabolic rate stands at about 10%.
Finally, another study published by the American Journal Of Physiologyii compared differences in metabolism between younger and old men, and found that both groups of men experienced similar thermogenic outputs following consumption of caffeine, but the group of younger men experienced increased release of free fatty acids, translating to higher metabolisms.
Coffee Boosts Physical Performance
While this is not a direct increase in metabolic rate, what is interesting is the fact that by increasing your physical performance, you indirectly improve your metabolism. Especially if weight training, muscle cell mitochondria become more efficient in burning fat for fuel, which in turn keeps us leaner year round.
This explains why many athletes supplement with caffeine (or drink black coffee) prior to working out, as the increased firing and improved contractility of muscles leads to greater calorie burning and can translate to improved metabolism long term.
Conclusion
Coffee does favorably influence metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories while even at rest. Coffee also increase thermogenesis, which is calories used for heat, as evidenced by raises body temperatures while using caffeine.
Just be sure to have your coffee black, or as close to black as possible, because loading with sugar and creamer adds unnecessary sugars to this super beverage and can blunt the fat liberating effects since insulin gets involved.
All the best
Chef Murph
