Green products are becoming more popular in the wellness community. There’re numerous green products available today, including green coffee. Probably you’ve heard about this coffee and its rich health-promoting ingredients.
This article discusses green coffee in detail, including what it is, its potential health benefits, and associated risks.
What Does Green Coffee Refer To?
Essentially, green coffee refers to raw coffee beans. These are whole beans that are yet to be roasted. Thus, they’re used in their raw form.
Extracts from green coffee are popularly used as dietary supplements. Also, green coffee is bought as raw beans for making hot coffee, just like how roasted coffee is used in brewing coffee.
However, it’s worth noting that a cup of green coffee doesn’t taste like regular coffee that’s brewed with roasted beans. Thus, its flavor profile is milder than that of regular coffee. Its taste is comparable to that of herbal tea.
Even though green beans share the same origin as roasted coffee, they’re different in terms of their chemical profile. Essentially, green beans are rich in chlorogenic acids. These acids have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that offer numerous health benefits.
Coffee brewed from roasted beans also has chlorogenic acid. However, the amount is insignificant since roasting eliminates much of the acid.
Does green coffee assist in weight loss?
For some time now, some physicians promote green coffee as a potent supplement for weight loss. However, health experts refute the belief that this type of coffee has any weight loss benefits. Regardless, green coffee boasts of being among the most commonly used weight loss products today.
Several studies treated sample mice with green coffee extract to determine its effects on body weight. Research results indicate that there was a significant reduction in fat accumulation and body weight.
However, studies done on humans are largely inconclusive. Although some participants experienced weight loss, the studies weren’t properly designed considering they had short durations and few participants.
Consequently, there’s no enough evidence to prove that taking green coffee extract offers weight loss benefits in humans. Well-designed and larger studies on humans are needed.
Green Coffee May Reduce the Risk of Developing Certain Chronic Diseases
Besides weight loss, green coffee is believed to offer other health benefits. For instance, its chlorogenic acid ingredient may assist in reducing the risk of developing certain chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
In a study done in a period of 8 weeks on a sample of 50 people experiencing metabolic syndrome (several risk factors such as blood sugar and hypertension that increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes) took decaf green coffee extract (400 mg) twice daily.
Participants who consumed the extract showed remarkable improvements in their waist circumference, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels when compared to the control group. Even though these research findings are promising, it’s necessary to conduct larger studies.
Potential Side Effects and Risks
Although it’s largely safe to consume green coffee, it comes with some potential risks. Its potential side effects and risks include:
- Gives the effects of consuming excess caffeine
Just like roasted beans, green coffee contains caffeine. While it’s safe to consume caffeine in moderate amounts, taking excessive caffeine may have negative effects such as sleep disturbance, hypertension, and anxiety.
An 8-ounce cup of green or black coffee contains a caffeine content of about 100 mg. However, the exact amount varies based on the brewing method and the coffee variety used.
Since some caffeine is lost when roasting coffee beans, green beans may contain a little more caffeine content than roasted beans. However, this difference is negligible.
Supplements comprising green coffee typically have a caffeine content of about 20 to 50 mg. However, some of these supplements are decaffeinated, thereby containing less caffeine.
Whether you’re taking decaf or caffeinated green coffee, do it moderately to avoid the effects that come with excessive consumption of caffeine.
- May affect your bone health
Research done for a period of 2 months on mice to assess the effect of green coffee on bone health involved giving them a daily dose of green coffee extracts. Results from the study showed significant depletion of calcium from the bone tissue.
These results indicate the consuming supplements containing green coffee may harm your bone health. Regardless, research on humans is needed.
Recommended Dosage
It’s challenging to determine a definite dosage on these supplements due to insufficient data on their benefits and risks. However, a study done using green coffee supplements in a dosage containing a maximum caffeine content of 400 mg taken twice daily didn’t report any negative effects.
If you want to try green coffee, consult your doctor for a safe dosage.
Final Thoughts
Green coffee is purely raw coffee beans harvested from a coffee plant. Extracts from green coffee are popularized as weight loss supplements. Green coffee extracts are also purported to have other benefits such as promoting healthy blood pressure and blood sugar levels. However, research on these benefits is limited.
Only a few side effects are reported. However, the caffeine content in green coffee may cause these side effects. Thus, if you’re planning to consume green coffee, consult your doctor to ensure it’s safe to consume it depending on your health condition.
Besides taking supplements derived from green coffee, you can as well brew hot coffee with raw coffee beans. You can buy green coffee beans from a local coffeehouse or roaster or source them online.
