Study links higher coffee intake to lower body fat, higher muscle mass

Researchers at the University of Oulu in Finland examined more than 2,200 participants, analyzing their diets, physical activity, health status and coffee consumption habits through questionnaires. Participants ranged from non-drinkers to those consuming five or more cups a day, and were asked to fast overnight and avoid coffee before measurements. The team measured body fat percentage and skeletal muscle mass, took blood samples and tracked how the body responded to sugar over two hours. The results showed that higher coffee consumption was associated with greater skeletal muscle mass and lower total body fat, including visceral fat around abdominal organs. Participants who drank more coffee also had lower levels of three branched-chain amino acids — leucine, isoleucine and valine — whose chronically elevated levels are linked to insulin resistance and diabetes risk. The study found sex-based differences: in men, coffee intake was tied to lower fasting and overall insulin levels, while the link to sugar regulation was weaker in women. Men also showed increases in some molecules related to cholesterol transport and decreases in certain markers associated with omega-3 fatty acids. The researchers said the findings point to a connection between coffee and body composition and metabolic health, but do not prove coffee is the direct cause of the differences.