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It seems as though every day we hear about another “miracle” weight loss product. Raspberry ketones, glucomannan, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), bitter orange and other supplements have hit the market hard and fast, largely thanks to tireless promoters like Dr. Oz, and most have disappeared equally quickly. This could be simply because they don’t work – usually something that does what it purports to do will stay around. Green coffee bean seems to have stayed the course. But what does green coffee bean do for weight loss and other health issues? Does green coffee bean actually work to help you lose weight and improve your overall health?
If popularity is any measure of effectiveness, then it would seem that green coffee beans are a great choice for anyone trying to lose weight and deal with other health issues as well. Where other supplements have come and gone, green coffee bean has continued to be popular. Take that in the context, though, that people over the ages have often used substances that are now known to be harmful. In the time of Queen Elizabeth I, for example, lead-based makeup was used to create a whiter complexion. Now, of course, we know that smearing anything containing lead on your face is a pretty bad idea. And as recently as the early 1900s, arsenic was the treatment of choice for certain STDs, and also used as a general “pick-me-up.” Arsenic still has medical applications today, but it’s no longer in favor as a tonic – we know now that it’s not something with which we should be self-medicating.
So does green coffee bean actually work? Is it dangerous? How should you use it? Keep reading. In the material that follows, we’ll talk about the benefits of green coffee bean, the side effects, the proper dosage, and more.
Green Coffee Beans Products On Amazon
Are Green Coffee Beans Poisonous?
Let’s get this out of the way at the outset. We really don’t know where this rumor started, but there are people who believe that if coffee beans are not roasted, they’ll kill you. Nothing could be further from the truth. If there were even a smidgen of fact in the idea that green coffee beans could be poisonous, would we even be asking the question, what does green coffee bean do for weight loss and other health issues?
Of course we wouldn’t. Green coffee beans, and all the various permutations of green coffee, including extracts, powders and pills, are considered to be safe for consumption, and may even have significant benefits when it comes to weight loss and other health concerns. So you can consign the “green coffee beans are poisonous” story once and forever to the dustbin of urban legend.
Not only are green coffee beans not poisonous, there is evidence to suggest that green coffee may actually work to remove poisons from your body that you acquire from substances like alcohol, nitrates and other compounds in processed foods, and environmental pollutants. This is because green coffee is rich in anti-oxidants. Now, there are other things that you can consume that are higher in anti-oxidants than coffee (green or roasted), but the simple fact is that you would have to consume a great deal more of anti-oxidant rich foods like green, leafy vegetables or small berries in order to get the same level of protection. For most people, this just isn’t practical.
Of course we’re not suggesting that you should forego a healthy diet that’s rich in anti-oxidants. If you’re under the impression that you can consume all the hot dogs and sugary treats you want, smoke like a chimney and drink like a fish, you’re very much mistaken. Your “live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse” lifestyle will eventually catch up to you. Maybe not as quickly as it would if you didn’t consume anti-oxidants like those found in green coffee, but there will still be a day of reckoning, and trust us, your corpse is not likely to be all that beautiful.
So, are green coffee beans poisonous? No. But other substances can be, and no amount of anti-oxidants will be able to forestall the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle for long. You should consider green coffee to be an enhancement to an already healthy way of life – not a “fix” for damage that you’ve willingly embraced.
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Can You Tell Me How to Take Green Coffee Beans to Lose Weight?
We can tell you the theory behind green coffee beans for weight loss. Keep in mind that the research is still in its infancy, but there have been studies that indicate that overweight adults who consume green coffee extract regularly will lose more weight than those consuming regular coffee made from roasted beans, or being given a placebo. Why do green coffee beans work better than roasted coffee beans? It’s simple. Almost any time that a product is processed (in the case of coffee, by roasting the beans), some of the inherent components of that product will be lost. Green coffee beans are not processed by roasting, so most of the original components in the beans remain intact. One of the substances that is “processed out” during the roasting procedure is chlorogenic acid, which is the ingredient believed to facilitate weight loss.
That’s not to say that the green coffee beans you would consume for weight loss are never processed at all – in fact, you’re most like to consume your green coffee in the form of a capsule. This is simply because you probably wouldn’t want to drink a brew made from green coffee beans – it wouldn’t taste very good. So you’d be more likely to go with a green coffee bean extract.
What is green coffee bean extract, you ask? It’s a highly concentrated fluid made by soaking green coffee beans in boiling water, and the process does not destroy the chlorogenic acid in the beans. You could actually make your own green coffee bean extract at home if you wanted to, but again, you wouldn’t be consuming something that’s overly palatable. Most people prefer to consume green coffee extract in commercially available capsule form. That way, you can just wash it down with a glass of water and not have to worry about the bad taste.
Of course not everyone perceives flavors in the same way. As an example, some highly respected chefs absolutely refuse to use cilantro in their recipes because they find the taste to be so overpowering as to be almost offensive. You might not mind the taste of green coffee, and might choose to simply grind up some green coffee beans or use a green coffee powder to brew up a beverage – we’ll tell you how to do that later.
Now, further on the science, there was a study done by the University of Scranton, in which 16 overweight people consumed green coffee extract. No regular coffee was used in this study – just green coffee extract capsules and placebos. All subjects ate the same diet, and did the same amount of exercise. In this study, which was done over 22 weeks, the participants who took high dosages of green coffee extract lost, on average, 17 pounds. Those on lower dosages still lost weight – just not as much. The people who were given placebos did not lose weight.
This would seem to provide a conclusive answer to the question, does green coffee bean actually work for weight loss. However, it’s worth mentioning that the professors involved in the study ultimately withdrew their research paper in response to accusations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that the study was flawed – not based in good science. It’s also worth mentioning, though, that the professors stated that they were withdrawing the paper only because of negative publicity – they stood by the results, saying that they were satisfied that green coffee extract did, indeed, facilitate weight loss. They also said that although they believed that some of the weight loss was due to the caffeine in the green coffee extract, they were convinced that the major factor was chlorogenic acid, which, as we have previously stated, is not found in roasted coffee beans.
Researchers attributed some of the weight loss to caffeine, but did not believe that the weight loss was due to caffeine alone. Rather, they attributed the effects of the green coffee beans on weight loss to chlorogenic acid, which is not present in roasted beans.
So will green coffee beans help you to lose weight? Maybe, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that there are any magical properties in green coffee beans that are going to help you peel off the pounds if you’re not generally leading a healthy lifestyle. If your idea of a good time is bellying up to the all-you-can-eat buffet 7 days a week, and then going home and heaving your bulk onto the sofa and shoveling ice cream into your face while watching TV, you’re going to be in for a disappointment. Green coffee beans may help you with your weight loss strategy, but will only be effective in the context of a sensible program of diet and exercise.
Does Green Coffee Bean Have Caffeine?
As we mentioned in the previous section, the researchers who conducted the Scranton University project attributed some of the weight loss to caffeine. Caffeine occurs naturally in almost all coffee beans, and nothing in the roasting process can actually add caffeine to coffee beans. So, green coffee beans contain pretty much the same amount of caffeine as roasted beans. When you’re consuming green coffee bean extract capsules, though, the amount of caffeine that you’re taking in is considerably less than if you were actually drinking a brew made from the beans – about one-tenth the amount.
Are There Other Health Benefits of Green Coffee Beans?
Although you’ll usually only hear celebrity doctors like Dr. Oz telling you how to lose weight fast with green coffee bean extract, there is also evidence to suggest that green coffee could be beneficial when it comes to other health issues. For instance, studies have shown that green coffee bean extract may help to lower blood pressure. Again, the ingredient that provides the benefit is chlorogenic acid. A Japanese study revealed that if green coffee extract containing a minimum of 50mg of chlorogenic acid is taken for approximately two months, it can help people who have mild high blood pressure that is not being treated using any other method.
Chlorogenic acid is also believed to normalize the body’s blood sugar levels. Green coffee bean extract, then, may be useful in treating patients who have diabetes.
There have also been several studies that would seem to indicate that taking green coffee bean extract regularly can mitigate the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
What are the Side Effects of Green Coffee Bean Extract?
It is generally believed that green coffee bean is safe to consume. However, as is the case with just about anything, moderation is the key. The known side effects of green coffee bean extract are few, and generally not all that problematic. In high doses, though, it could cause diarrhea, and could lead to increased anxiety in people who already have an anxiety disorder. In both cases, the culprit is caffeine.
Paradoxically, having already said that green coffee bean can lower blood sugar levels, too much caffeine can also raise blood sugar levels. For that reason, if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, you should consult your primary care physician before adding green coffee bean to your health regimen.
Caffeine can also raise your blood pressure, even as the chlorogenic acid works to lower it – so green coffee beans can be a double-edged sword. Again, consult your physician before taking green coffee bean.
If you have a bleeding disorder like hemophilia or von Willebrand’s Disease, you need to know that caffeine could make bleeding worse. You will need to exercise caution if you’re thinking of consuming green coffee bean.
If you have osteoporosis (bone loss due to age) or osteopenia (weak bones), you should not consume more than 300mg of caffeine per day. This is because caffeine can cause your body to flush out too much calcium in your urine.
Glaucoma and irritable bowel syndrome are also side effects of excessive caffeine.
Too much caffeine can also cause headaches, upset stomach, insomnia, agitation, and ringing in the ears.
If you think you’re seeing a trend here, you’re right. The culprit is caffeine. So you should probably avoid drinking brewed green coffee if you have medical issues that could be aggravated by caffeine, but will probably be fine with green coffee extract capsules, which contain considerably less caffeine than the beans themselves.
Is Green Coffee Bean Extract Safe When Nursing?
The research on green coffee bean extract is still fairly new. Accordingly, you should keep in mind that it is not yet known how much green coffee bean extract, if any, is safe for women who are pregnant or nursing. Because the research is still in its infancy, your doctor may not even be able to give you a definitive answer to the question, is green coffee bean extract safe when nursing. It’s probably best to err on the side of caution and avoid green coffee bean extract entirely, rather than run even the slightest risk of harming your baby.
How Long Do Green Coffee Beans Last?
Usually, something that is processed lasts a lot longer than something that isn’t, so you might be surprise to learn that green coffee beans actually last much, much longer than roasted beans. The most you should expect in terms of shelf life for roasted beans is a couple of months once the bag has been opened. Coffee purists actually recommend that you keep roasted beans for no longer than three weeks. You can extend the life of roasted coffee a bit once the bag has been opened if you ensure that the bag is tied securely to prevent air from entering. Don’t store the beans in a plastic container – the plastic will actually react with the beans and cause them to go rancid. A glass container is better, but the air that is in the container along with the beans is not your coffee’s friend, and can lead to a stale, musty flavor.
You can store roasted coffee beans in the freezer, but repeatedly taking it out and putting it back in can cause the flavor to deteriorate. The refrigerator is not a good place for roasted coffee – because the conditions in your fridge are cool and moist, the beans will decay rapidly.
So how long do green coffee beans last? A long time! In fact, they can last for years. They’re best stored in burlap bags, in areas of low humidity. If they’re subjected to any more than 60% humidity, they could develop a bad taste (best case scenario) or become moldy (worst case scenario – you will have to throw them away, because not only will they taste terrible, ingesting mold is really not a great idea when it comes to your health).
You Promised to Tell Me How to Brew Green Coffee!
Well, yes, we did. So here goes.
Basically, you can make green coffee in the same way that you make roasted coffee. Grind the beans, put them in your coffee maker, and hit the switch. If you also use roasted coffee, though, make sure to give your coffee machine a thorough cleaning each time you change brews. Otherwise, you could end up with an unpleasant taste. For that matter, it’s a good idea to give your coffee maker a deep cleaning every few weeks to remove scale and other contaminants.
You can also use green coffee powder in much the same way as you would ordinary instant coffee, by boiling water and then adding the powder. With green coffee though, it’s best to let it sit for five to ten minutes before drinking. Also, since green coffee does not have the rich, full-bodied taste of roasted beans, you might want to add some sugar or honey to the brew in order to make it palatable. You can also add spices like nutmeg or cardamom to give it a bit of zing, and if you like, you can even chill your blend and serve it over ice for a refreshing pick-up on hot days.
I’ve Heard of Using Garcinia Cambogia Along With Green Coffee – Is This a Good Idea?
Garcinia cambogia is another supposed weight loss miracle that Dr. Oz devoted a fair bit of time to flogging. Supposedly, this tropical fruit is a great weight loss supplement, working to suppress your appetite and inhibit your body’s natural fat-making mechanisms. You can find garciniacambogia on its own as a supplement, and you’ll also find it as an ingredient in composite weight loss products. If you’re wondering how to take garciniacambogia and green coffee bean together for weight loss, it’s really kind of a no-brainer. Get some garciniacambogia, and get some green coffee bean extract. Then take them together.
But does garciniacambogia actually work? Is it really effective when it comes to facilitating weight loss?
The research suggests that it isn’t. The theory sounds good – there’s an active ingredient in garciniacambogia calledhydroxycitric acid (HCA) that has been credited not just with blocking your body’s natural inclination to make fat, but with raising the levels of serotonin in your brain, thus making you not as hungry as you might be without the supplement. The results, though, leave something to be desired. Studies have revealed that people who take garciniacambogiatypically only lose a couple more pounds than those who don’t take it – and those studies were done on people who were also following better dietary practices and getting more exercise than they had before they participated in the studies.
Maybe better studies are needed on garciniacambogia. Or maybe it’s just another “wonder pill” that actually has little value when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off.
One study, though, suggests that garciniacambogia might actually improve your body’s ability to use glucose. Mice that were given the substance were found, in one study, to have lowered insulin levels when compared with mice that didn’t receive it. That sounds promising for people who have diabetes, but it’s worth keeping in mind that if you’re already taking medication to regulate your blood sugar levels, adding garciniacambogia to the mix could cause you to have dangerously low sugar levels.
There has also been research suggesting that garciniacambogia can lower the levels of “bad” cholesterol in your blood, and raise the levels of “good” cholesterol. The caveat regarding adding garciniacambogia to your list of medications holds true here as well, though – if you’re already on medication to manage your cholesterol levels, don’t add garciniacambogia without talking to your doctor.
Keep in mind, too, that garciniacambogia can have side effects. Some include dry mouth, upset stomach, diarrhea, dry mouth, and headaches. These side effects are pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, but it’s also worth pointing out that in 2009, a product containing garciniacambogia was pulled off the shelves because it was linked to severe liver problems. Garcinia cambogia wasn’t the only substance in this product, so it’s not really known if it was to blame for the liver issues, but it’s also not really known that it wasn’t to blame.
There are also several interactions reported when it comes to garciniacambogia – it might interact badly with medications used to treat allergies, various pain meds, iron, warfarin, and various psychiatric medications. It’s also absolutely not advised for women who are pregnant or nursing, or for anyone who has problems with their liver or kidneys.
We’d tread carefully when it comes to garciniacambogia – from where we’re sitting, it looks like the benefits don’t really add up to all that much, so why take chances with your health? Maybe it’s safe, and maybe it isn’t. The results are inconclusive, and the studies seem to suggest that it might not even help you to lose weight. Rather than relying on garcianiacambogia for weight loss, you’re probably better off to up your exercise routine or introduce healthier foods into your diet.
How Much Green Coffee Bean Extract Should You Take Daily?
The answer to this question really has to do with how much chlorogenic acid is in your green coffee bean extract. Generally speaking, you’ll find that the more expensive your green coffee bean extract is, the more chlorogenic acid it will contain. So although you can buy green coffee bean extract in discount pharmacies, and even in dollar stores, you might not be getting all that much “bang for your buck,” so to speak.
You need to read the label, and take a look at the dosage instructions on any bottle of green coffee bean extract you buy. The chlorogenic acid will appear as a percentage on the label. Generally speaking, if your green coffee bean extreact contains 10% chlorogenic acid, you should take 1200-3000mg daily. If it contains 20% chlorogenic acid, you should take 600-1500mg daily. If it contains 50% chlorogenic acid, then you should take 240—600mg per day. Experts generally advise against consuming any more than 480mg of green coffee per day, so it’s important to read your labels carefully.
If you feel that you really want to take garciniacambogia along with green coffee bean extract, then the ingredient you’re looking for is hydroxycitric acid. Usually, you don’t want to take any more than 1500mg a day of hydroxycitric acid. So again, read the label carefully, and proceed accordingly.
So, Back to My Original Question – What Does Green Coffee Bean Do For Weight Loss and Other Health Issues?
It would be great if we had a definitive answer for you, but we don’t. For sure the research seems to suggest that if you use green coffee bean extract as a weight loss supplement, you might lose weight faster. But does green coffee bean extract actually work to help you lose weight? The jury seems to still be out on this issue, although leaning somewhat toward the belief that green coffee bean extract can indeed be helpful when it comes to managing your weight. The studies would seem to indicte that green coffee bean extract can offer an extra “boost” when it comes to weight loss, but there’s nothing to suggest that it’s a “magic bullet” in and of itself.
You could pop green coffee bean extract capsules until the cows come home, but there’s nothing to suggest – Dr. Oz’s testimonials to the contrary – that green coffee bean extract is a “fat burner.” If you’re determined to keep stuffing yourself and not getting any exercise, then any benefits that you get from green coffee bean extract are going to be minimal. If you use this supplement in the context of a sensible diet and regular exercise, though, it might very well work to help you lose weight a bit quicker than you would otherwise.
Maybe I Should Just Stay Fat?
You know what? Maybe you should. There’s been a lot more research done lately into the effects of excess weight on your health, and some of that research suggests that carrying a few extra pounds might not really be all that bad. If your weight isn’t keeping you from doing the things that you want to do, and you’re otherwise in good health, you might be obsessing unnecessarily and just buying into unrealistic notions of body image.
Even when it comes to body image, excess weight isn’t the social stigma that it used to be. You’ve heard people talk about how beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and you’ve seen pictures of plus-size models in print media and on television. Maybe what you need isn’t to lose weight – maybe what you need is to learn how to love yourself the way you are!
Okay, But Maybe I’d Love Myself More If I Could Be Thinner…
That’s fine too. If losing weight makes you happy, then go for it! We’d suggest, though, that you avoid crazy diets. There have been tons of them over the past 50 or so years. In the 1970s, for example, there was the grapefruit diet. You could eat all the vegetables you wanted, all the fish, chicken and red meat, all the bacon, and very little else. The theory was that eating half a grapefruit before each meal would trigger a “fat burning” process, thanks to the supposed miracle compounds in the grapefruit. People definitely lost weight on this diet, but if you look closely at what’s allowed, the foods are allowed are generally very low-cal. It would be difficult if not impossible to consume enough calories in just vegetables and meats to even maintain your current weight. And believe it or not, eventually you’d get sick of bacon.
Did people lose weight on the grapefruit diet? Indisputably, they did – up to ten pounds a week. But almost without exception, people who tried the grapefruit diet went back to their old weight as soon as they went back to their old eating habits.
Then of course there was the Stillman diet, in which you were allowed all the meat, eggs and vegetables you wanted, and you could even slather everything in butter! The theory on the butter was that you had to consume fat in order to burn fat – we know better now. Again, because of the generally low-cal nature of the Stillman diet, people did lose weight. And again, once they reintroduced grains, dairy, and other important nutrients to their diet, they re-gained the weight.
We could go on and on about crash diets that are at best ineffective, and at worst, dangerous. Suffice it to say that eliminating everything that isn’t protein from your diet, or eating one or two foods to the virtual exclusion of all others is just going to make you miserable – people who have been on the cabbage soup diet for any length of time, for instance, will probably tell you that they’ll never again eat cabbage soup as long as they live, although it tasted great for the first couple of days. People on Stillman would probably have gotten to the point where they’d shove their own grandmother under a bulldozer if it meant they could have a pickle, or even just a teaspoon of mustard.
Okay, You’ve Convinced Me – Now Can You Tell Me Where to Buy Green Coffee Bean Extract?
If you need a bit of help along the way, does green coffee bean actually work to help you lose weight? The research would seem to suggest that it could, so why not buy it?Side effects to using green coffee bean extract are minimal, and could even be non-existent assuming that you’re generally in good health. So as long as you’re looking to this supplement as something that could work to speed up your weight loss efforts, but not thinking of it as a magical compound that’s going to have you dropping pounds no matter how much you eat, you’re on the right track. You’re still going to have to eat sensibly, and exercise in order to achieve the best possible results.
You can buy green coffee bean extract just about anywhere that supplements are sold – your local health food store, your pharmacy, and even big box stores like WalMart are great places to find green coffee bean extract. You can also find it in dollar stores, but we don’t really consider buying cheap supplements in discount stores to be a good idea – often, they’re close to (or even past) their “best before” date, and depending on where they’re manufactured, they could contain other compounds that aren’t good for you. They could also be very low in actual coffee extract.
Of course, as is the case with most products today, you can also buy green coffee bean extract online. Simply Google the phrase “buy green coffee bean extract online” and you’ll get more than 7,000,000 results. Some sources, obviously, are more credible than others. There are any number of overseas businesses selling green coffee bean extract, but the issue is the same as with discount stores – a lot of the time, you can’t be sure what other substances your supplement might contain. Some offshore-sourced supplements have been found to contain lead, mercury, PCBs and even asbestos! Also, you really have no way of knowing how your supplements are handled during shipping. You might save a few dollars. For that matter, you might save a lot of dollars. But your monetary savings could come at the expense of your health.
Our advice as to where to buy green coffee bean extract would be to use only American or Canadian sources, and even then to read labels carefully. If you’re buying online, you can usually use the same sources as you would if you were actually buying locally – most reputable pharmacy and retail chains also offer you the ability to peruse and buy supplements online. We also highly recommend amazon.com. It’s a respected source, and not only can you buy green coffee extract from Amazon, you can also purchase the actual beans, as well as ready-to-use green coffee powder.
Green Coffee Beans Products On Amazon
The Final Word
What does green coffee bean do for weight loss and other health issues? Some researchers believe that it could do a great deal to jump-start your weight loss program, and even to serve as a great supplement to take regularly in order to counter the effects of free radicals. It’s not a “fat burner,” though, at least not in the sense that you can continue to eat the way you always have, get little or no exercise, and expect to see dramatic weight loss results.
Related Content:
Do You Know How Much Caffeine is in Coffee?
How Much Caffeine is in Coffee Alternatives? The Answers May Surprise You!
What Are The Benefits of Coffee?
Eat well, and play hard – get out there and hike, bike, run, play tennis or whatever else pleases you – and feel free to add green coffee bean to your healthy lifestyle. If you have medical issues, of course you should consult with your doctor first, but assuming that you are generally healthy, green coffee bean is not likely to cause you any harm, and very well might help you to lose the excess poundage that’s been plaguing you.
Last update on 2024-04-16 at 10:30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API