Does Caffeine Help Or Hurt Your Diet?

Caffeine is the stimulant of choice for 9 of every 10 Americans, reports the Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI. The caffeine in foods and drinks generally won't impact your diet to such an extent that you'll lose weight because you consume them. They can, however, have hidden, unnecessary calories that can be detrimental to your weight-loss plan.

Foods and Beverages

Caffeine has been classified as generally recognized as safe, or GRAS, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since the late 1950s, according to the International Food Information Foundation Council. Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in several plants, such as coffee beans, tea leaves and cocoa beans. Numerous foods and beverages contains caffeine, including coffee, black and green tea, energy drinks, coffee-flavored frozen treats, chocolate bars, over-the-counter pain relievers and dietary supplements designed to keep you alert or that purportedly assist in weight maintenance. Caffeine has its pros and cons when added to your diet; caffeine's most notable side effect is that it gives you a temporary boost in physical energy and alertness. However, foods and drinks that contain caffeine can also have a surprising number of calories, which may ultimately contribute to weight gain.

Calories

Caffeinated foods and beverages vary from a nutritional standpoint. An 8-oz. serving of black, brewed, caffeinated coffee has 5 calories, minute amounts of niacin and magnesium and no harmful nutrients such as fat, sodium or cholesterol. A 2.8-oz. dark chocolate bar has 180 calories, 110 of which come from fat. Dark chocolate gives you 12 percent of your daily value, or DV, for dietary fiber; however, it also gives you 21 g of added sugar and 40 percent of your DV for saturated fat — nutrients to limit or avoid. The caffeine in tea, coffee and dietary supplements is sometimes linked to weight loss. But MayoClinic.com indicates that there's no evidence to support caffeine as an aid for long-term, permanent weight loss.

Weight

Your metabolic rate increases slightly when you consume caffeine. According to CSPI, you burn between 75 to 110 extra calories per day for every 100 mg of caffeine consumed. However, CSPI goes on to state that your metabolism adapts to the effects of caffeine over time, which could be why it's not definitively linked to weight loss. Additionally, you may consume extra calories throughout the course of the day to make up for those that are burned. MayoClinic.com notes that caffeine calories, particularly from gourmet coffee drinks, can be just as fattening as a dessert. CSPI points out that a 20-oz. white chocolate mocha from one chain coffee bar has almost 600 calories and 15 g. of saturated fat.

Other Information

Caffeinated coffee is rich in antioxidants and may reduce your risk for Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease and certain types of cancer, states Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist Donald Hensrud. However, consuming caffeinated foods and beverages with a lot of sugar and fat can also derail your diet. Unsweetened coffee and tea are two caffeinated choices that Harvard School of Public Health cites as healthy beverage choices for people trying to curb the calories they get from beverages. However, these should be limited to 28 oz. per day. The best way to get your hydration is from plain water. Caffeine itself is safe when consumed in moderate amounts — 300 mg, or around 3 cups of coffee.