Can coffee play a role in helping people to lose weight and reduce the risk of adult-onset diabetes? That seems to be the case. According to studies reported in medical journals, a proprietary extract of green coffee beans can in fact help people to shed pounds.

One clinical study published in the scientific French review Phytothérapie demonstrated fat-reducing effects of a green (non-roasted) coffee bean extract called Svetol. One group of volunteers was given 400 mg of the Svetol decaffeinated green coffee extract daily, and the second group received a placebo. After 60 days of supplementation, participants who received the Svetol green coffee extract had lost 5.7 percent of their initial weight. By contrast, the group that received a placebo had lost 2.8 percent of their initial weight.

In a second study published in the Journal of International Medical Research, overweight people consumed an instant coffee fortified with Svetol green coffee extract, resulting in significant weight loss over a 12 week period.

Other published studies show that Svetol green coffee extract modifies blood glucose in ways that slow the release of sugar into the blood stream, and help to reduce body mass.

While these studies do not suggest the kind of extreme weight loss touted by many diet fads, they do point to a steady decrease in weight as a result of the use of green coffee extract. Furthermore, since the extract used in the the studies was decaffeinated, the weight loss does not appear to be due to a calorie-burning effect noted with caffeine.

Coffee, one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, contains a plethora of naturally-occurring compounds, including several classes of antioxidants. Coffee is already known to be a preventive factor against mild depression, Parkinson’s disease, and colon and rectal cancers. Now it appears that compounds in coffee also help to regulate blood glucose, reduce fat production, and enable steady weight loss.

The compounds responsible for the weight-controlling effects of coffee are antioxidants known collectively as the chlorogenic acids. These acids appear to slow the production of glucose in the body after a meal, by modifying the activity of certain enzymes in the liver. Additionally, the chlorogenic acids cause a more slow and sustained release of glucose into the body after eating, thereby reducing the production of new fat cells. When coffee is fermented and roasted, which are typical processes, the chlorogenic acids are reduced. For this reason, the Svetol green coffee extract is neither fermented nor roasted, thus keeping the natural level of chlorogenic acids in the beans as high as possible.

This effect of coffee on weight sheds favorable light on the practice of drinking an espresso after a meal. Espresso, made by steam expressing finely ground coffee, is rich in flavor and aroma and chlorogenic acids, but not very concentrated at all in caffeine. Drinking an espresso after eating causes a suppression of glucose production and release, in addition to causing the body to produce more gastric juices, which aids digestion.

Furthermore, coffee also appears to act as a preventive factor in type 2 diabetes. In one Harvard University in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that drinking coffee daily reduces the risk of the disease. In another study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from Amsterdam concluded that regular coffee consumption is associated with considerably lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And yet another study conducted in the Netherlands showed a direct connection between coffee consumption and lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

What conclusions can we draw from this work? For a start, coffee with lots of cream and sugar will do little to control weight or prevent diabetes, due to the load of calories in such a beverage. But black coffee, espresso, coffee with a small amount of milk, or a green coffee bean supplement all appear to support weight reduction and lower rates of diabetes. Without question, the Svetol green coffee extract encourages the greatest weight loss, due to its very rich percentage (45%) of chlorogenic acids.

Just as it has been discovered over the past few years that coffee provides significant antioxidant protection, it now appears that coffee consumption may play a valuable role in fighting epidemic obesity and high rates of diabetes. These studies suggest that taking Svetol green coffee extract supplements, drinking coffee daily and enjoying an espresso after a meal may provide significant benefits to wellness, and help to maintain a healthy weight.