The checkout counter magazine promises me that I can lose seventeen pounds this summer without exercising. What is the secret? Green tea? No, Green Coffee.
Yummy?
Turns out green coffee isn’t terribly yummy. Even its promoter, Linsey Duncan, says it is terribly bitter. So don’t look for your green coffee chocolates any time soon.
But who cares? Pucker up and swallow those pills. Let the weight loss begin.
Dr. Oz liked the idea so much he featured it on his blog.
Surprisingly, this is a pretty well researched supplement. The review of all studies says: “The magnitude of the effect is moderate, and there is significant heterogeneity amongst the studies.”  Some promising results, but more studies necessary. Average weight loss closer to five pounds in the positive studies. Unless you happen to be a mouse, in which case you can definitely lose weight! (I think I should do a pet weight loss blog. The results are always so promising. Maybe I could start the first rodent centered check out stand magazine. “Lose half your body weight without running in your exercise wheel at all.”)
So is green coffee the miracle cure? Turns out regular coffee does just as well in preventing diabetes, and we have much larger studies to confirm the effect. Weight loss (moderate) can also result from increased coffee intake.
So understanding that every diet fails after five years, are you more likely to be taking bitter green coffee supplements in five years or drinking coffee? That’s right, the coffee. I guess I need to cultivate a taste for the stuff. Or maybe I should wait until they isolate out that active ingredient. Because surprisingly, coffee contains both melatonin and 5-HTP. So I’ll hold off until they’ve isolated out and packaged whatever it is in the green coffee that works. Maybe they’ll even make a chocolate out of it.
But don’t believe me. Here are the studies:
Gastroenterol Res Pract. 2011;2011. pii: 382852. Epub 2010 Aug 31.
The use of green coffee extract as a weight loss supplement: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials.
Oakpoya I, Terry R, Ernst E.
Source
Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, 25 Victoria Park Road, Exeter EX2Â 4NT, UK.
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to assess the efficacy of green coffee extract (GCE) as a weight loss supplement, using data from human clinical trials. Electronic and nonelectronic searches were conducted to identify relevant articles, with no restrictions in time or language. Two independent reviewers extracted the data and assessed the methodological quality of included studies. Five eligible trials were identified, and three of these were included. All studies were associated with a high risk of bias. The meta-analytic result reveals a significant difference in body weight in GCE compared with placebo (mean difference: -2.47 kg; 95%CI: -4.23, -0.72). The magnitude of the effect is moderate, and there is significant heterogeneity amongst the studies. It is concluded that the results from these trials are promising, but the studies are all of poor methodological quality. More rigorous trials are needed to assess the usefulness of GCE as a weight loss tool.
PMID: 20871849
Nutr Neurosci. 2012 Jan;15(1):37-45.
Dietary supplementation with decaffeinated green coffee improves diet-induced insulin resistance and brain energy metabolism in mice.
o L, Varghese M, Wang J, Zhao W, Chen F, Knable LA, Ferruzzi M, Pasinetti GM.
Source
Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
There is accumulating evidence that coffee consumption may reduce risk for type 2 diabetes, a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases. Coffee consumption is also associated with reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease and non-Alzheimer’s dementias. However, preventive and therapeutic development of coffee is complicated by the cardiovascular side effects of caffeine intake. As coffee is also a rich source of chlorogenic acids and many bioactive compounds other than caffeine, we hypothesized that decaffeinated coffee drinks may exert beneficial effects on the brain.
METHODS:
We have investigated whether dietary supplementation with a standardized decaffeinated green coffee preparation, Svetol®, might modulate diet-induced insulin resistance and brain energy metabolism dysfunction in a high-fat diet mouse model.
RESULTS:
As expected, dietary supplementation with Svetol® significantly attenuated the development of high-fat diet-induced deficits in glucose-tolerance response. We have also found that Svetol®) treatment improved brain mitochondrial energy metabolism as determined by oxygen consumption rate. Consistent with this evidence, follow-up gene expression profiling with Agilent whole-genome microarray revealed that the decaffeinated coffee treatment modulated a number of genes in the brain that are implicated in cellular energy metabolism.
DISCUSSION:
Our evidence is the first demonstration that dietary supplementation with a decaffeinated green coffee preparation may beneficially influence the brain, in particular promoting brain energy metabolic processes.
PMID: 22305652
Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2006 Jan;16(1):69-77. Epub 2005 Dec 13.
Coffee and type 2 diabetes: from beans to beta-cells.
van Dam RM.
Source
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 2, Boston, MA 02115, USA. rvandam@hsph.harvard.edu
Abstract
Coffee consumption has been associated with improved glucose tolerance and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in diverse populations in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. This review discusses the strength of the evidence, relevant mechanisms, possible implications, and directions for further research. The finding that higher consumption of decaffeinated coffee was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes suggests that coffee constituents other than caffeine play a role. Coffee is a source of several compounds that improved glucose metabolism in animal studies, including the chlorogenic acids and lignans. Further research on phytochemicals in coffee may lead to the identification of novel mechanisms for effects of diet on the development of type 2 diabetes. In addition, knowledge on effects of coffee components may aid in the development or selection of types of coffee with improved health effects. Longer-term randomized intervention studies that test the effects of coffee consumption on glucose tolerance are warranted. Physical activity and weight management should be the mainstay of public health strategies to prevent type 2 diabetes. For individual choices regarding coffee consumption, potential effects of coffee on various health outcomes should be considered.
PMID: 16399494
JAMA. 2005 Jul 6;294(1):97-104.
Coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review.
van Dam RM, Hu FB.
Source
Department of Nutrition and Health, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. rvandam@hsph.harvard.edu rvandam@hsph.harvard.edu
Abstract
CONTEXT:
Emerging epidemiological evidence suggests that higher coffee consumption may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE:
To examine the association between habitual coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes and related outcomes.
DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION:
We searched MEDLINE through January 2005 and examined the reference lists of the retrieved articles. Because this review focuses on studies of habitual coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes, we excluded studies of type 1 diabetes, animal studies, and studies of short-term exposure to coffee or caffeine, leaving 15 epidemiological studies (cohort or cross-sectional).
DATA EXTRACTION:
Information on study design, participant characteristics, measurement of coffee consumption and outcomes, adjustment for potential confounders, and estimates of associations was abstracted independently by 2 investigators.
DATA SYNTHESIS:
We identified 9 cohort studies of coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes, including 193 473 participants and 8394 incident cases of type 2 diabetes, and calculated summary relative risks (RRs) using a random-effects model. The RR of type 2 diabetes was 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54-0.78) for the highest (>or=6 or >or=7 cups per day) and 0.72 (95% CI, 0.62-0.83) for the second highest (4-6 cups per day) category of coffee consumption compared with the lowest consumption category (0 or
CONCLUSIONS:
This systematic review supports the hypothesis that habitual coffee consumption is associated with a substantially lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Longer-term intervention studies of coffee consumption and glucose metabolism are warranted to examine the mechanisms underlying the relationship between coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes.
Comment in
Coffee consumption and development of type 2 diabetes. [JAMA. 2005]
PMID: 15998896
Diabetes Care. 2006 Feb;29(2):398-403.
Coffee, caffeine, and risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study in younger and middle-aged U.S. women.
van Dam RM, Willett WC, Manson JE, Hu FB.
Source
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA. rvandam@hsph.harvard.edu
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
High habitual coffee consumption has been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but data on lower levels of consumption and on different types of coffee are sparse.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:
This is a prospective cohort study including 88,259 U.S. women of the Nurses’ Health Study II aged 26-46 years without history of diabetes at baseline. Consumption of coffee and other caffeine-containing foods and drinks was assessed in 1991, 1995, and 1999. We documented 1,263 incident cases of confirmed type 2 diabetes between 1991 and 2001.
RESULTS:
After adjustment for potential confounders, the relative risk of type 2 diabetes was 0.87 (95% CI 0.73-1.03) for one cup per day, 0.58 (0.49-0.68) for two to three cups per day, and 0.53 (0.41-0.68) for four or more cups per day compared with nondrinkers (P for trend <0.0001). Associations were similar for caffeinated (0.87 [0.83-0.91] for a one-cup increment per day) and decaffeinated (0.81 [0.73-0.90]) coffee and for filtered (0.86 [0.82-0.90]) and instant (0.83 [0.74-0.93]) coffee. Tea consumption was not substantially associated with risk of type 2 diabetes (0.88 [0.64-1.23] for four or more versus no cups per day; P for trend = 0.81).
CONCLUSIONS:
These results suggest that moderate consumption of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee may lower risk of type 2 diabetes in younger and middle-aged women. Coffee constituents other than caffeine may affect the development of type 2 diabetes.
PMID: 16443894
Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2012;5:21-7. Epub 2012 Jan 18.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, crossover study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a green coffee bean extract in overweight subjects.
Vinson JA, Burnham BR, Nagendran MV.
Source
Chemistry Department, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Adult weight gain and obesity have become worldwide problems. Issues of cost and potential side effects of prescription weight loss drugs have led overweight and obese adults to try nutraceuticals that may aid weight loss. One promising nutraceutical is green coffee extract, which contains high concentrations of chlorogenic acids that are known to have health benefits and to influence glucose and fat metabolism. A 22-week crossover study was conducted to examine the efficacy and safety of a commercial green coffee extract product GCA™ at reducing weight and body mass in 16 overweight adults.
METHODS:
Subjects received high-dose GCA (1050 mg), low-dose GCA (700 mg), or placebo in separate six-week treatment periods followed by two-week washout periods to reduce any influence of preceding treatment. Treatments were counterbalanced between subjects. Primary measurements were body weight, body mass index, and percent body fat. Heart rate and blood pressure were also measured.
RESULTS:
Significant reductions were observed in body weight (-8.04 ± 2.31 kg), body mass index (-2.92 ± 0.85 kg/m(2)), and percent body fat (-4.44% ± 2.00%), as well as a small decrease in heart rate (-2.56 ± 2.85 beats per minute), but with no significant changes to diet over the course of the study. Importantly, the decreases occurred when subjects were taking GCA. Body mass index for six subjects shifted from preobesity to the normal weight range (<25.00 kg/m(2)).
CONCLUSION:
The results are consistent with human and animal studies and a meta-analysis of the efficacy of green coffee extract in weight loss. The results suggest that GCA may be an effective nutraceutical in reducing weight in preobese adults, and may be an inexpensive means of preventing obesity in overweight adults.
PMID: 22291473
J Pineal Res. 2012 May;52(4):470-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-079X.2011.00964.x. Epub 2011 Oct 24.
Melatonin and serotonin profiles in beans of Coffea species.
Ramakrishna A, Giridhar P, Sankar KU, Ravishankar GA.
Source
Department of Plant Cell Biotechnology, Central Food Technological Research Institute, (Constituent Laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), Mysore, India.
Abstract
A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and an electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) methods were applied to quantify the profiles of melatonin and serotonin (5-HT) in green and roasted beans of Coffea canephora (robusta) and Coffea arabica (arabica). Both melatonin and 5-HT were detected in green coffee beans (5.8±0.8μg/g dry weight (DW), 10.5±0.6μg/g DW) and also in roasted beans of C. canephora (8.0±0.9μg/g DW, 7.3±0.5μg/g DW). Melatonin (3.0±0.6μg/50mL) and 5-HT (4.0±0.7μg/50mL) were detected in coffee brew. In C. arabica, 5-HT was high in green beans (12.5±0.8μg/g DW) compared with roasted beans (8.7±0.4). The levels of melatonin were higher (9.6±0.8μg/g DW) in roasted beans compared with green beans (6.8±0.4μg/g DW). Both melatonin (3.9±0.2μg/50mL) and 5-HT (7.3±0.6μg/50mL) were detected in coffee brew. Because of the relevance of indoleamines as bioactive molecules with implications for food, nutritional sciences and human health, it was of interest to explore their levels in coffee, an important universal beverage.
© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
PMID: 22017393
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Alternative Holistic Health Answers 
advance trim online is a scam they offer for free but they bill you 69.95 and when you call to cancel they offer to continue for 29.95 scam artists. go to any local vitamin shop and get the same thing for 21….
Thanks for letting us all know. I’ve run into a similar vitamin scam with the exact same pricing for a different product. I suspect the same company has figured out exactly what amount they can get from most people, and is using that information to ride on each diet supplement as it gets attention.