If you are into sports for the purpose of burning fat, a strong coffee could help you lose fat.
A new study shows that drinking coffee 30 minutes before exercising can significantly increase the amount of fat your body burns during exercise. Researchers at the University of Granada in Spain found that 3 mg/kg of caffeine (roughly equivalent to one espresso) increases the oxidation or burning of fat during exercise.
“The recommendation to exercise on an empty stomach in the morning to increase fat oxidation is common,” said francisco josé amaro-gahete, lead author of the study. however, this proposal may not have a scientific basis; because it is not known whether this increase is due to exercising in the morning or being hungry for a longer period of time,” he says.
In the study, participants took an exercise test once a week for four weeks. After the pre-exercise last meal and the time from the last exercise to the test were standardized, they were allowed to exercise on the stationary bike. Before exercise, some participants were given 3mg/kg of caffeine and a placebo at 8am and 5pm, and their fat oxidation was measured.
The results of the amaro-gahte study “showed that caffeine ingestion 30 minutes before exercise provides maximum fat oxidation during exercise, no matter the time of day,” he explains. He adds that they see that this increase effect is stronger in the afternoon than in the morning.
Burning fat and caffeine are thought to raise your core body temperature, thereby increasing the number of calories you burn. Caffeine can also produce adrenaline and be a stimulant for the lipolysis process. Lipolysis is the conversion of adipose tissue into fatty acids that the body can use as an energy source.
If you are doing sports for the purpose of burning fat, this will help you in the process if you adjust your routine to 17.00 and later in the evening and drink a strong coffee beforehand.
