Association between Habitual Coffee Consumption and Indices of Body Fat
Authors: Naumann Dominik , Smith Kevin L. , Boeve Angelica R. , Bukartyk Jan , Singh Prachi , Somers Virend K. , Covassin Naima 
Published: June 2021

Background

Despite strenuous public health efforts, obesity rates continue to rise globally, and contribute importantly to increased cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality. Dietary habits play a key role in the development and progression of obesity, and are the target of choice in preventative and therapeutic programs. Although preclinical studies have shown that caffeine may exert anti‐adipogenic effects, in humans the implications of coffee consumption on risks of excess adiposity are unclear.

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between habitual coffee consumption and indices of total and regional body fat in healthy adults.

Methods

Seventy‐eight subjects (46 males, mean age 27.3±6.1 years) who took part in research studies conducted at the Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular/Sleep Laboratory and underwent body composition assessment were selected. Absence of cardiovascular or metabolic diseases was ascertained by physical exam and review of medical charts. Height, weight, waist and hip circumference measures were collected for computation of body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR). Measurements of total body fat percentage, upper body fat (kg), and lower body fat (kg) were obtained from dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). Abdominal computed tomography (CT) was used to quantify subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT, cm2) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT, cm2). Habitual coffee consumption (cups/day; range 0–3) was self‐reported and coded as a binary variable (yes/no).

Results

Sixty percent of the subjects (n=47) reported habitual coffee consumption. Age and gender distribution were comparable between groups (P=0.52 and P=0.73, respectively). There was no significant difference between those who reported consuming coffee and those who did not in terms of BMI (23.6±2.7 kg/m2 vs 24±2.8 kg/m2, P=0.56) and WHR (0.85±0.08 vs 0.85±0.07, P=0.7). Likewise, body composition and fat distribution indices were similar between groups: total body fat percentage (coffee drinkers vs non‐coffee drinkers: 30.5±7.2% vs 28.6±7.8%, P=0.27), upper body fat mass (6.6±2.4 kg vs 6.6±3.1 kg, P=0.99), lower body fat mass (9.4±5.2 kg vs 8.4±4.1 kg, P=0.39), SAT (143.4±61.3 cm2 vs 135.9±63.7 cm2, P=0.6), and VAT (57.7±35.5 cm2 vs 70.3±44 cm2, P=0.22). Analysis stratified by gender did not reveal any differential effect of regular coffee consumption on body fat (all Ps>0.26).

Conclusion

In healthy, young individuals moderate habitual coffee consumption is not associated with measures of total or regional adiposity. Whether the anti‐obesity effects of caffeine emerge only when it is consumed in larger quantities remains to be determined.

Support or Funding Information

Research support: NC is supported by American Heart Association grant 16SDG27250156 and Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science grant Marie Ingalls Cardiovascular Research Career Development Fund.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.