Just picked, unroasted green coffee beans may turn out to be able to give coffee bean aficionados more than a pick-me-up in the morning. In Vinson’s study, participants were given green coffee extract in a ground form over the course of 22 weeks. Two different doses were used, and a control group was also given a placebo (fake green coffee extract to test the effects). Those who took part in the study were not asked to change their diets during the course of the study, although they were asked to be physically active.

During the period where participants took the highest of the doses, they lost the most weight. Those who took the lower dose of green coffee extract lost more weight than those taking the placebo though not as much. On average, the individual participants lost 17.5 pounds.

Put simply, the study suggests that taking an all-natural daily supplement of green coffee extract can significantly boast the weight loss effects of exercise without any change in the user’s diet.

Is the caffeine contained in green coffee extract that helps improve weight loss by increasing the rate of one’s metabolism?

Researchers from the study do not think so, since similar results have not been observed in coffee drinkers. Researchers are looking into chlorogenic acid as being a sort of weight gain suppressor. Chlorogenic acid, which is destroyed by the roasting process, may actually keep sugars from being absorbed by the body, thus reducing weight gain.

 From the June 7, 2012, Prepared Foods’ Daily News