Coffee is more than just the most loved beverage, it is also
packed with health benefits that overshadows a lot of health foods out there.
This is because coffee is the best and source of antioxidants in any diet. It is plant based and is even more appealing
because it can be taken with a non-dairy creamer and alternative sweetener.
There is a huge amount of studies that show the benefits of coffee from
lowering the risk for certain cancers, preventing type 2 diabetes and it lowers
stress levels –the latter of which is the most obvious benefit and main reason
why we drink coffee in the first place.
Recently however, science looked into the coffee bean again
to see if it has the potential to help promote weight loss. Studies
conducted have shown promising results and researchers believe it is because of
the chemical compound called chlorogenic
acid.
So what is
Chlorogenic Acid?
Chlorogenic acid or CGA is a naturally occurring chemical
compound in coffee that slows down the release of glucose into the bloodstream
after each meal. It is this quality that
has the weight loss community taking interest in coffee. The compound is also found in other food
sources such as potatoes, peaches and prunes but coffee has a larger
concentration in each bean.
How does chlorogenic
acid help in weight loss?
Glucose is stored as body fat when it is not consumed or
“burned” by the body. Glucose is a
source of energy and theoretically, your glucose intake should match the amount
of energy you need to complete your daily activities. The problem with modern day diet is that they
are usually energy dense – packed with simple carbs. That is a lot of energy that goes nowhere but
into the fat cells. The introduction of
chlorogenic acid in the body lowers glucose absorption so there is less of the
glucose to burn. And more importantly, there are no left overs to store. The rest of the glucose just leaves the body
un-processed.
Is it effective?
There are chlorogenic supplements and there are weight loss supplements with
chlorogenic acid such as the Green Coffee Bean Extract. There are existing mice and human studies
that verify the weight loss claim using the extract although there are those on
the dissent. Nonetheless, just like in
any other scientific theory, the proof is always found in the real world -the
actual users. Even on this level, there
are mixed results = there are those who benefit from it and there are still
others who do not lose weight at all.
Now, we must understand the theory in order to understand
the results. Chlorogenic acid slows down the absorption of glucose so that what
goes into your system is small enough that you use it up just by doing simple
tasks. By doing this, you maintain your
current weight. On the other hand, if
you start going to the gym or start exercising, your body uses up the energy
already stored – then you lose body fat. Supplements are almost always used to
only to augment whatever weight loss efforts we already have in place.
References:
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