Q: Is it true that drinking caffeinated beverages can help me lose weight?
A: The relationship between caffeine and weight management has been the subject of research studies for over 20 years, based on caffeine’s well-known stimulant properties. We know, for example, that coffee can wake us up when we’re feeling sleepy. It’s also rapidly absorbed and distributed 
throughout the body. Because of this, caffeine increases the efficiency of many over-the-counter pain relievers and cold medicines. Given these facts… can we expect caffeine to increase the number of calories we burn when we drink it?
Thus far, the only positive effect associated with caffeine consumption has been its effect on stored fatty acids. When large amounts of caffeine are consumed in 30 minutes (approximately 5-6 cups of strong coffee in 30 minutes… not exactly a pleasant experience), caffeine has a tendency to release fatty acids from storage in your body, allowing them to be used for energy. However, this discovery relates only to the endurance athletes who would benefit from this additional energy source. In terms of what caffeine can do for the rest of us, it looks like we may have to continue logging those hours at the gym – caffeinated beverages have not been proven to help with weight loss.
Furthermore, caffeine has a number of known side effects that should actually discourage people from consuming it at all. Caffeine is a natural diuretic (which anyone who drinks coffee can vouch for). This alone isn’t cause for concern, however if you drink a great deal of caffeinated beverages before you exercise strenuously then you put yourself at risk for dehydration. In the summer, even less caffeine will put you at risk. And according to the National Institutes of Health, excessive intake of caffeine has been known to cause an elevated heart rate, nausea, vomiting, restlessness, anxiety, depression, tremors, and difficulty sleeping. In more extreme cases, caffeine consumption has been linked with fibrocystic breast disease, heart and blood vessel disease, birth defects, reduced reproductive function, and cardiac arrhythmias.
In the end, you’re actually better off without caffeine at all. (Personally, I cut out caffeine only recently and have already seen a huge improvement in my overall energy levels. Plus I have fewer headaches!) Caffeine is not a magic weight loss cure, as much as we wish it worked that way. The truth is, only a calorie deficit can cause weight loss – ideally through a combination of eating less and exercising more.
Read more on weight loss strategies:
