Good news for all the coffee lovers out there. A new study has found that just one cup of strong coffee before exercising can help you lose weight.
A cup of strong coffee might do a lot better than just helping you overcome the morning drowsiness. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
The researchers found that if the exercise is performed in the afternoon, the effects of the caffeine are more marked than in the morning.
However, caffeine (about 3 mg/kg, the equivalent of a strong coffee) taken half an hour before aerobic exercise significantly increases the rate of fat-burning in the body found the scientists from the Department of Physiology of the University of Granada (UGR).
The researchers in their study aimed to focus on whether caffeine is one of the most commonly consumed ergogenic substances in the world to improve sports performance which actually does increase the oxidation or “burning” of fat during exercise.
However, the scientific evidence for its beneficial claims is rare but despite that fact, its consumption in the form of supplements is very common.
The lead author of this research, Francisco Jose Amaro-Gahete of the UGR’s Department of Physiology explained, “The recommendation to exercise on an empty stomach in the morning to increase fat oxidation is commonplace. However, this recommendation may be lacking a scientific basis, as it is unknown whether this increase is due to exercising in the morning or due to going without food for a longer period of time.”
About a total of 15 men (mean age, 32) took part in the research after completing an exercise test four times at seven-day intervals. Subjects ingested 3 mg/kg of caffeine or a placebo at 8 am and 5 pm (each subject completed the tests in all four conditions in random order).
Their conditions before each exercise test (hours elapsed since last meal, physical exercise, or consumption of stimulant substances) were strictly scrutinized and the fat oxidation during exercise was also calculated accordingly.
Francisco J. Amaro explained, “The results of our study showed that acute caffeine ingestion 30 minutes before performing an aerobic exercise test increased maximum fat oxidation during exercise regardless of the time of day.”
The existence of a diurnal variation in fat oxidation during exercise was confirmed and it was seen that the values were being higher in the afternoon than in the morning for equal hours of fasting.
According to these results, it was seen that caffeine increased fat oxidation during morning exercise in a similar way to that observed without caffeine intake in the afternoon.
Overall, the study findings suggested that the combination of acute caffeine intake and aerobic exercise performed at moderate intensity in the afternoon provides the optimal scenario for people looking to increase fat-burning during physical exercise.