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can coffee give your workout a fat-burning boost?

your favourite morning drink may be key to boosting the benefits of your workout.

by dave yasvinski

mar 23 2021

2 minute read

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drink this before working out if you want to burn more fat

can a cup of joe before exercise help your body burn fat? getty

a group of scientists has found an appealing exercise to maximize the body’s fat-burning potential before a workout: repeatedly lifting a strong cup of coffee to your lips.

the study, published in the journal of the international society of sports nutrition , found a strong cup of joe consumed half an hour before aerobic exercise significantly increases the rate at which the body burns fat. the powerful potential of caffeine was even more pronounced before an afternoon workout than an early morning session.

“in athletes, it is known that endurance performance is poorer early in the morning and late at night compared with the afternoon,” the researchers wrote. “the difference has been explained by the higher body temperature, the enhanced neural activation and contractile properties of the skeletal muscle, and the higher plasma catecholamine concentrations found in response to exercise in the afternoon compared to the morning and evening.”

caffeine is one of the most commonly consumed ergogenic aids, or performance enhancers, in the world of sports performance despite few studies providing compelling scientific evidence of the relationship at play. with caffeine making ample appearances in weight-loss supplements, researchers sought to determine if the central nervous system stimulant actually helps burn fat and if the time of day impacted this relationship.

“the recommendation to exercise on an empty stomach in the morning to increase fat oxidation is commonplace,” said francisco josé amaro-gahete, lead author of the study and an assistant professor in the university of granada’s department of physiology. “however, this recommendation may be lacking a scientific basis, as it is unknown whether this increase is due to exercising in the morning or due to going without food for a longer period of time.”

to explore the issue, 15 men, with an average age of 32, were recruited for the research, which involved performing a standardized aerobic test four times per day at seven-day intervals. participants were given either a placebo or a 3 mg/kg dose of caffeine at 8 am and 5 pm, with every person required to complete the task under all four conditions and in a randomized order. all other variables, such as time elapsed since last meal and use of other stimulants, were strictly controlled to allow unfettered analysis of fat oxidation during an aerobic workout.

“the results of our study showed that acute caffeine ingestion 30 minutes before performing an aerobic exercise test increased maximum fat oxidation during exercise regardless of the time of day,” amaro-gahete said.

the values the team observed for fat oxidation were higher in the afternoon than the morning despite occurring after the same amount of fasting. according to the researchers, these findings show caffeine raises the body’s fat-burning ability in the morning to a level observed in the afternoon without caffeine. “these results support the use of caffeine as an ergogenic aid during training or competition during the morning,” they concluded. “the combination of acute caffeine intake and exercise at moderate intensity in the afternoon seems to be the best scenario for individuals seeking to increase the amount of fat utilized during continuous aerobic exercise.

“whether higher doses of caffeine induce greater effects on whole-body fat oxidation during graded exercise tests and further improves endurance performance remains to be investigated.”

dave yasvinski is a writer with   healthing.ca

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dave yasvinski

can coffee give your workout a fat-burning boost?

your favourite morning drink may be key to boosting the benefits of your workout.

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can coffee give your workout a fat-burning boost?

your favourite morning drink may be key to boosting the benefits of your workout.

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