We’re always looking for it — that magic pill that will make the fat melt off our bodies.  A new study shows surprising evidence that the magic pill might have appeared.  A study published in Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity journal recently show impressive evidence that green coffee bean extract will cause weight loss, even with no changes in diet and lifestyle.

Don’t reach for that third cup of coffee yet!  The effect is only in the green coffee bean.  Evidently the benefit comes from chlorogenic acid, which evaporates when coffee beans are roasted.  If you want to try it, you have to get a supplement.

The chologenic acid evidently works in the liver, preventing that overworked organ from releasing glucose from your food into your blood stream.  That means your body has to pull the fuel from the stored fat — thus causing you to lose weight.

Since Dr. Oz featured it on his popular television show, supplement companies have rushed to get formulas together and get them marketed.  That is always a problem.  How can you know that the supplements contain the ingredients they are supposed to contain and not lots of other miscellaneous stuff?  You don’t.  Look for brands that you trust and read the labels and compare.  I bought one brand online and picked up another at the health food store.  The online version cost more (although they cut the price by $10 when I changed my mind halfway through the ordering process and canceled the order.)  It also contained a lot of other ingredients like green tea extract and raspberry ketones.  They might be helpful, but there is no way to know how much coffee bean extract the pills actually contain. Also, it isn’t clear if all the ingredients are natural.  The bottle from the health food store states that it is pure green coffee bean extract — 800 mg. per pill.

Does it work?  The studies were pretty impressive.  One study cycled 22 overweight adults through a high dose of chloragenic acid in green coffee bean extract, a lower dose, and a placebo.  Subjects lost most on the highest, less on the lower dose, and none on the placebo.  The study by Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity Journal used two groups of overweight adults. The group getting the green coffee bean extract lost weight – about 17 lbs. each over 12 weeks. The placebo group did not. An earlier, Italian study on mice showed similar effects on the little critters.

Will it make you jittery? The studies say “no,” because the extract contains a fraction of the caffeine of a single cup of coffee.  Any negative side effects?  None that have come up yet.  In fact, they extract is a powerful antioxidant which helps prevent damage to cells.

Does it work on ordinary people?  Nothing much works for me, except sticking to a low glycemic meal plan — with no sugar or grains.  Even then I’m a slow loser.  I’m giving green coffee bean extract a try and will let you know.

However, I will hasten to say that I’m not planning to use it as a get-out-of-jail-free card.  Eating right affects your whole body — not just your waistline.  You have to give your body quality fuel if you want it to run well and last a long time.  Remember that our goal is not to be gorgeous, but to reach a level of health and strength beyond gorgeous!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown