Study links habitual coffee consumption with healthier BMI and metabolism

New Finnish dietary research suggests habitual coffee consumption may be associated with a healthier body composition and better metabolism. The study also found noticeable differences related to sex hormones in men and women. However, authors of the observational study caution against interpreting their findings as a direct cause-and-effect. 

For both sexes, higher coffee consumption was linked to lower circulating levels of branched-chain amino acids. These are biomarkers that have previously been associated with insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes when they are chronically elevated.

Notably, participants in the study who had a similar body mass index (BMI) while consuming more coffee had lower total and visceral fat and greater skeletal muscle mass than those who drank less frequently.

“Coffee is consumed by millions of people every day, yet we still know surprisingly little about how it relates to our metabolism and hormones,” says Luca Verroest, lead author of the study and doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu.

“What stood out in our findings was a distinct hormonal signature that didn’t disappear even after we took into account BMI and lifestyle factors, with several of these associations differing between men and women.”

Cardiometabolic benefits

The study builds on substantial evidence around coffee’s benefits, which include brain health, biological aging, and the gut microbiome. However, the authors note that its biological mechanisms remain unclear.

The study published in the European Journal of Nutrition looked at data from 2,264 participants aged 46 in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Researchers examined how their regular coffee consumption was linked to levels of circulating metabolites, cardiometabolic risk markers, and sex hormones.

The strongest sex-specific associations were observed in men. Higher coffee consumption correlated with a more favorable glucose-insulin profile, greater concentrations of total and bioavailable testosterone, and boosted levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG).

For men and women, higher coffee consumption was linked to lower levels of branched-chain amino acids, which are a marker of insulin resistance and an increased of type 2 diabetes when elevated.Meanwhile, the free androgen index — a ratio estimating the amount of active, unbound testosterone circulating in the blood — was “modestly lower” for male coffee drinkers. For female drinkers, hormonal associations were less significant, and they mostly had higher SHBG and lower measures of free androgens.

Narrowing down research focus

The study is significant for the Finnish population, which the researchers highlight as one of the world’s highest coffee-drinking markets. Annual consumption averages around 11.8 kg per person, they note.

The researchers conclude that these results only partially explain the hormonal pathways behind coffee consumption’s effect on metabolic health.

However, they believe their findings offer a foundation for future studies investigating whether coffee alone drives these biological changes or identifying the compounds responsible for these benefits.

The research team says these questions are currently being investigated in animal models, with the long-term ambition of advancing to human intervention studies. Further studies will be required before any of these findings can reliably inform dietary recommendations.

Functional beverage brands this year have been innovating to elevate coffee’s health halo further. Bulletproof recently launched Coffee + Creatine, a “first of its kind” functional coffee innovation combining the two. The instant black coffee is blended with 5 g of creatine monohydrate and 250 mg of electrolytes to support performance and hydration.