What is the role of coffee in weight loss?
What are the most prominent benefits?
On the other hand, what are its potential damages?
Answers and more in this report.
We start with a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Granada that showed that caffeine not only helps us focus and enjoy better health, but it can also help us lose weight if we drink a cup of coffee half an hour before exercising, according to a report published by the magazine "Quaidati Plus" (cuidateplus) Spanish by Juana Valera.
Francisco Amaro Gayete, a professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Granada, who supervises this study, said that there are many studies that dealt with the benefits of consuming caffeine before competing, but there has been no focus so far on the effect of drinking coffee on fat burning rates.
A cup of coffee half an hour before exercise
According to the Spanish study, having a cup of coffee half an hour before exercising or vigorous physical exercise, significantly increases the fat burning process.
Caffeine "does not only come from coffee, but it can also be obtained from other drinks such as tea," said Gayet.
In this study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, researchers focused on understanding the effect of caffeine - one of the most consumed energy-generating substances in the world to improve athletic performance - on fat burning during exercise.
And 15 men, an average of 32 years old, participated in the study, and they took 4 tests with an interval of 7 days between each.
During the test period, some participants consumed an estimated 3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of weight, twice a day, at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and others underwent a placebo.
Some conditions were defined before the test (hours of fasting, exercise, and consumption of stimulants), and fat oxidation rates were monitored during exercise.
Researchers found that consuming caffeine 30 minutes before exercise, be it morning or afternoon, increased fat oxidation.
But they found that fat burning rates were higher during the afternoon.
"Exercise itself produces substances that activate us and lead to the breakdown of fats. This coincides with the process of breaking down triglycerides, which increases their frequency during the afternoon period, which leads to burning more fat," Gayeti said.
He adds, "The body temperature is higher in the afternoon, which also helps to burn fat," but he confirms, however, that all these results are still only hypotheses.
In light of this study, Gaiette says that "fasting between 3 and 4 hours before exercise, and drinking a strong coffee half an hour before starting in the afternoon, would be ideal for oxidation of more fats."
He confirms that coffee has a great psychological effect, as it stimulates the central nervous system, helps fight drowsiness and increases the level of alertness, and adds that among its benefits is to reduce the risk of death from a number of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver cancer.
What are the negative effects of coffee?
We move to another study by researchers from the University of Basel, published in the journal "Clinical Cortex", and found that habitual caffeine consumption can actually negatively affect gray matter in the brain, according to a report by CW Headley published by the American "LADERS" website.
Gray matter is made up of nerve cells that efficiently process information.
The academics responsible for the latest report at the University of Basel wanted to know the relationship between regular coffee consumption and reduced gray matter volume due to lack of sleep.
Therefore, the study sample included 20 healthy coffee drinkers.
At the start of the study, participants were given caffeine tablets to take in two 10-day periods, and were asked not to take any other sources of caffeine.
During the second 10 days, the participants were given placebo drugs without their knowledge.
At the end of each study period, the researchers examined the size of the participants' gray matter, along with their sleep quality, by recording the electrical activity of their brains (using EEG).
The researchers noted that daily caffeine intake may have negative neurological effects, even if these effects can be reversed after 10 days of abstaining from caffeine consumption.
The author stated that these results may appear to contradict what we know about coffee's effects on cognition.
It should be noted that the above-indexed results are drawn from a very small sample, in addition to the fact that the daily consumption of any substance is likely to lead to undesirable effects.
Excessive caffeine intake may harm your joints
For its part, the Swiss Health Center warns that excessive caffeine intake may harm the joints, as it may damage cartilage tissues, paving the way for degenerative joint disease also known as osteoarthritis.
Center ooodh that the
disease is a degenerative hinge N damage to the
renewed asab tissue articular cartilage, which reduces friction mn movement joints permanent, working as a
cushion to protect the
bones.
takl This protective layer because of the
disease leads to friction alazemih tissue, and friction associated infections affect the
joint cavity and cause the feeling balalam and the
roughness of the
joints, which negatively affects the quality of
life walaatmad self.
So should we stop drinking coffee?
The positive and negative effects of caffeine can be either enhanced or multiplied by the lifestyle of a regular coffee drinker.
Some of the factors that have a greater impact on your health are eating a balanced diet, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight, and drinking coffee should be just an add-on, says Diane Fitzham, a nutrition researcher at Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine. Down to those major health factors. "
Therefore, to avoid the potential risks of coffee, the maximum permissible values for caffeine intake, which are 400 milligrams (4 coffee cups), should not be exceeded. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, colas and chocolate.