Coffee Consumption Linked to Healthier Body Composition

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages globally, and its association with reduced risks of conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease has been a topic of interest for researchers. However, the underlying biological processes that explain these connections remain poorly understood. A new study from Finland sheds light on the relationship between coffee consumption and healthier body composition, favorable metabolic markers, and distinct sex hormone patterns in men and women.

Researchers at the University of Oulu analyzed data from 2,264 participants who were 46 years old and part of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. The team investigated how the participants’ usual coffee intake was related to circulating metabolites, indicators of cardiometabolic risk, and sex hormone levels.

The study found that people who consumed more coffee tended to have lower levels of total body fat and visceral fat, along with greater skeletal muscle mass. These differences were observed even though participants with higher and lower coffee intake had a similar body mass index (BMI). Higher coffee consumption was also associated with lower circulating concentrations of branched-chain amino acids in both men and women. When chronically elevated, these biomarkers have previously been linked to insulin resistance and a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Coffee Intake Linked to Different Hormone Patterns

Some of the most striking differences emerged among men. Greater coffee consumption was associated with a more favorable glucose-insulin profile, higher levels of total and bioavailable testosterone, and greater concentrations of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). However, free testosterone and the free androgen index were modestly lower. In contrast, the hormonal associations were less extensive in women. Higher coffee consumption was mainly associated with increased SHBG and lower measures of free androgens.

The findings suggest that hormonal pathways might help explain some of the previously observed relationship between coffee consumption and metabolic health. However, the study was observational, and it cannot establish that drinking coffee directly caused any of the biological differences identified.

The results offer a starting point for further research designed to determine whether coffee itself produces these biological changes and, if so, which compounds may be responsible. Scientists are currently investigating these questions using animal models, with the longer-term aim of moving toward human intervention studies.

Additional research will be necessary before the findings can be used to shape dietary recommendations. The study, ‘Associations of habitual coffee intake with testosterone and cardiometabolic markers: the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study,’ was published in the European Journal of Nutrition.

The study’s lead author, Luca Verroest, noted that the findings raise important questions about the relationship between coffee consumption and metabolism. ‘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.’

The setting of the study also makes the results particularly relevant. Finland is one of the world’s highest coffee-consuming countries, with average annual consumption of approximately 11.8 kilograms (26 pounds) per person.