Consuming coffee an hour before a workout “can improve endurance and increase the intensity of your exercise,” said Rajeswari V Shetty, Head of Department -Dietetics, SL. Raheja Hospital, Mahim.
Coffee is one of the most loved beverages. So it is not surprising to know that many people love to kickstart their day with a piping hot cup of Joe. But did you know that coffee, apart from its great taste and smell, has multiple health benefits — including weight loss? If an Instagram post by dietitian Mac Singh is to be believed, then coffee is also the “cheapest fat burner” along with being the best pre-workout drink. He further adds that instead of opting for expensive fat-burning pills, all one needs to do to shed extra kilos is sip coffee. That is because “most of the fat burners in the market contain caffeine as the main component, which is also the same for coffee,” explains Mac, adding that caffeine is a natural substance that “aids fat burning and boosts your metabolic rate by 3-11 percent”. Is it true? Let’s find out from experts.
“Coffee is a low-calorie beverage with zero grams of fat, sugar, and carbohydrates. It aids weight loss by impacting our metabolism,” Rajeswari V Shetty, Head of Department -Dietetics, SL. Raheja Hospital, Mahim told indianexpress.com. She added that while the intake of coffee “lowers appetite and reduces calorie intake”, its caffeine content “increases the resting metabolic rate, which results in weight loss”.
She further stressed that consuming coffee an hour before a workout “can improve endurance and increase the intensity of your exercise. It also induces dopamine secretion, making one burn more calories”.
But it is not not just weight loss, Singh added that the brew is also good for the brain as it has been shown to improve brain function including “memory, mood, and reaction time.” On Instagram, he further wrote that coffee also contains essential nutrients like vitamins B2, B5, B3 and minerals like manganese and potassium, and may also help “protect you against Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease, including liver cancer”.
Owing to its long list of benefits and easy accessibility, you might be tempted to reach out for a cup of coffee. However, to reap the benefits of this beverage there are certain things that you should keep in mind. “Often, people add sugar, cream, syrup, or other things to their coffee. These can never be good. Have your coffee without sugar/syrups,” advised Mac, further stressing that having more than 2-3 cups of coffee a day can “lead to some heart disease. People who suffer from hypertension should avoid it”
Is coffee safe for pregnant women?
Studies have linked high caffeine consumption (more than 200 mg a day) to babies being small for their gestational age or at risk for intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) as caffeine is believed to cause blood vessels in the uterus and placenta to constrict, which could reduce the blood supply to the fetus and inhibit growth. However, consuming less than 200mg per day (1 cup of coffee) is safe.
“Women who drank less than 200 mg of caffeine a day during pregnancy – as little as half a cup of coffee per day – had slightly smaller babies than non-caffeine drinkers” says Dr Neha Pathania, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram.
Medications to avoid with coffee
If an individual is prescribed anticoagulation they should avoid intake of caffeine. Caffeine is an inhibitor to many drugs like:
Ephedrine.
Antidiabetic drugs.
Theophylline.
Phenothiazines.
Anticoagulant drugs.
Tricyclic antidepressants.
Asthma medications.
Contraceptive drugs.
Does coffee makes you jittery?
Consuming more than 400mg of caffeine per day can make some people jittery. However, it also depends on the individual body’s response to caffeine. Adrenaline due to caffeine consumption can make you anxious and jittery. To avoid it, cut down on your caffeine intake and “always stay hydrated and eat more alkaline food like fruits and vegetables that makes you less deficient in magnesium and calcium,” advised Pathania.