When your weight starts to slowly creep up, look at ways you may be taking in extra calories and don't even know it. Caffeine is in many popular beverages people drink for both taste and a boost of alertness, but sometimes dieters forget about the added calories that caffinated beverages provide. Caffeine itself won't make you fat but some of the beverages and foods that contain caffeine definitely can.
About Caffeine
Caffeine is a naturally-occurring substance found in more than 60 plants, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation, or IFICF. Kola nuts, tea leaves and cocoa and coffee beans are sources of caffeine; however, it can also be made synthetically and used as a food additive. In the human body, caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, making you feel more awake and alert. It also has diuretic properties as well. Caffeine isn't associated with increased body fat; in fact, it's added to many over-the-counter dietary supplements that purportedly aid in weight loss and weight control. According to MayoClinic.com nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI, caffeine affects your weight very nominally.
Caffeine and Weight
According to the CSPI, consuming 100 mg caffeine may increase your metabolism by around 5 percent --- the rough equivalent of burning 75 to 110 calories a day. However, despite this metabolism boost, caffeine isn't associated with long-term weight loss. The CSPI notes that this could be because people who use caffeine consume extra calories to make up for those burned. Over time, you also build up an endurance to caffeine and become immune to its effects. Dietary sources that contain caffeine might not be in the low-calorie range. Regular colas, energy drinks, bottled and canned teas and the gourmet coffee drink you treat yourself to each morning can add unneeded calories to your diet. So can milk and dark chocolate, coffee-flavored ice cream, other sources of caffeine. The problem isn't with the caffeine itself; it's with the discretionary calories these beverages and foods add to your diet by way of added sugars and solid fats.
Calories in Caffeine
A cup of black, brewed coffee has only 5 calories. However, a 16 oz. white chocolate mocha made with whole milk and whipped cream can give you 14 g saturated fat and have up to 500 calories; this is 25 percent of your calorie budget, if you eat a 2,000-calorie diet. A 2.8 oz. dark sweet chocolate bar gives you 440 calories and 16 g saturated fat. A cup of coffee ice cream may have up to 540 calories per cup -- and 22 g saturated fat, which is more than 100 percent of your daily value for this unhealthy dietary fat. Bottled sweet tea might not have any fat; however, a 16.9 oz. serving can give you 180 calories, most of which come from added sugar.
Weight Gain
Don't worry if you enjoy the "pick me up" you get from your morning cup of coffee, because caffeine in moderation generally isn't harmful. MedlinePlus indicates that 250 mg, or around three cups of coffee, is considered a moderate amount. Limit the amount of added sugar and milk or creamer you add to your cup to keep calories low. However, if you're concerned about gaining body fat, keep in mind that weight gain is caused by consuming too many calories --- more than your body can burn in a day. Trimming calories from your meals and snacks and increasing your level of physical activity is a proven way to lose weight permanently.
References
- International Food Information Council Foundation: Everything You Need to Know About Caffeine; October 2009
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Caffeine in the Diet; May 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Caffeine Content in Coffee, Tea, Soda and More; October 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Coffee Calories: Sabotaging Your Weigh-loss Goals?; K. Zeratsky, October 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Caffeine: Can It Help Me Lose Weight?; K. Zeratsky; May 2011
- Center for Science in the Public Interest: Caffeine; November 2008
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