Coffee Boosts Weight Loss? ‘Coffee Lovers Diet’ Doctor Says One Cup Of Java Burns 100 Extra Calories Daily

Coffee may boost your weight loss, according to a new diet book that reveals how to harness the joys of java to shed pounds. Dr. Bob Arnot, author of The Coffee Lover’s Diet: Change Your Coffee, Change Your Life, claims that the simple act of drinking a cup of coffee can improve your overall health as well as whittle your waistline. His recommendations about coffee are backed up by recent studies showing the benefits of drinking that morning cup of java.

In an interview with Inside Edition, Dr. Arnot described a cup of coffee as “the easiest way to change your health.” And for those who want to focus on weight loss, the physician emphasized the benefits.

“When you drink a cup of hot coffee, you are burning another hundred calories a day and that’s significant.”

Adding exercise to the weight loss equation can help, according to Dr. Arnot. He recommends sipping coffee one hour before working out as a way to improve your exercise regimen.

“The coffee gives you the motivation to exercise and it also gives you the fuel and the power,” explained the diet expert. “It feels easier to exercise, you can go longer, harder and you are going to be taking that weight off.”

But before you head to the nearest Starbucks to order up a Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino, Dr. Arnot has a specific prescription for how to benefit from coffee for weight loss. He claims that the key is to sip the correct variety of coffee, such as a light roast that is finely ground.

And for those who like to pour in the cream and sugar, or pile on the extras such as whipped cream and flaked dark chocolate, those luxuries aren’t in the diet doctor’s prescription. Instead, he recommends drinking your coffee without extras such as milk and sugar.

How much coffee should you drink daily for the maximum rewards? Dr. Arnot suggests sipping four to six cups of coffee a day.

“[Four to six cups is] the magic number in terms of health benefits.”

Beyond weight loss, the physician noted that coffee has been shown to help reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes as well as prevent heart disease and even depression.

“The driving force behind depression and heart disease and so many diseases is inflammation, and this is the ultimate anti-inflammatory drink,” added Dr. Arnot.

For those who get jitters even thinking about drinking that much java, however, the doctor recommended avoiding an overload of caffeine by shifting to decaf coffee.

“You’ll have the health benefits and you won’t have the jitters,” he explained.

Talking with People magazine about his Coffee Lovers Diet, Dr. Arnot explained precisely what makes coffee so beneficial for the body.

“What is there in the coffee that’s so good? The very simple answer is polyphenols.”

That’s the same answer when it comes to why fruits, vegetables, and olive oil are so healthy, he explained. However, the physician also emphasized the importance of being aware of individual caffeine tolerances.

“Know your caffeine tolerance,” cautioned Dr. Arnot. “With certain heart irregularities, that could be no caffeine at all. If you are a slow processor, then one full cup of caffeinated coffee could be your limit.”

A recent study offered more evidence that coffee can boost weight loss. In their investigation, researchers at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil found that sipping coffee before exercising boosts alertness while making it easier for your muscles to burn fat, helping with weight loss, reported Medical Daily on June 6.

Published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, the study determined that drinking up to 400 milligrams of caffeine (the equivalent of four cups of coffee) one hour prior to exercise improves athletic performance. That benefit applied regardless of how much caffeine you regularly drink, said the study author, Dr. Bruno Gualano, study author and a professor of physiology and nutrition at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

“No matter the habitual caffeine intake in the diet, acute caffeine supplementation can improve [athletic] performance.”

As for how coffee helps the body to burn fat faster, java stimulates the nervous system. In turn, that system signals the fat cells to break down fat. Beyond helping the body to burn fat, coffee can lower the perception of muscle pain from exercise.

One study indicated that sipping the equivalent of two to three cups of coffee an hour before an intense 30-minute workout reduced muscle pain. That research indicated that coffee can help exercisers to boost their workout intensity.

[Featured Image by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]