Dr Michael Mosley: How does coffee help weight loss?

The renowned dietician explained the pros and cons of drinking caffeinated beverages as part of your daily routine.

According to Mosley, the hot drink is rich in flavonoids and antioxidants called polyphenols that have been proven to improve brain and heart health.

However, he recently explained in the Sunday Times that you should monitor the time you drink coffee.

hours spent on Parenting seem to have gone up over last 55 years, but rates of depression and anxiety in the young have also gone up. Why? https://t.co/vtUHSVtNoD

— Michael Mosley (@DrMichaelMosley) March 29, 2024

When is the best time to drink coffee?

Best known as the creator of the Fast 800 and 5:2 diets, Michael says it is best to wait a few hours after first waking up to pour your morning coffee.

He quoted researcher James Betts, a professor of metabolic physiology at the University of Bath, who says that this is due to poor sleep raising the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. This can result in an increase in blood sugar levels to a potentially unhealthy high if you have had a bad night's rest.

Therefore, it is best to drink coffee after eating breakfast to better control your metabolism, according to the professor - advice which Michael reiterated.

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However, the expert added that drinking one to three cups of coffee per day can help your metabolism and therefore aid weight loss.

The advice follows similar guidance from intermittent fasting expert Gin Stephens, who spoke about the weight loss and overall health benefits of including coffee in your diet.

"Bitter flavour profiles are not associated with a cephalic phase insulin response. So, the black coffee is actually stimulating autophagy," she said.

“Autophagy is our body’s powerful, cellular housekeeping. It is like recycling and up-cycling in our body during a fast. It can go in and clear up old, junk proteins and really clean up things.

“Also, it is great for our immune systems, they can really function best during the fasted state. And black coffee is likely to stimulate these processes, it even helps with fat burning."