Wellness Wednesday – How to Consume Caffeine to Burn Fat

By Ed Lippie, founder and CEO, Momentum Wellness

Caffeine is the most studied performance-enhancing ergogenic aid on the planet. And like most heavily studied substances ingested by humans, caffeine has experienced its own roller-coaster ride within scientific and mainstream media circles. 

Over the last century, caffeine has been good for humans, it’s been terrible for humans, and now it’s great for humans (with some caveats.) In fact, a recent study published in the International Society of Sports Nutrition has reinforced caffeine’s fat-burning properties, revealing that morning caffeine consumption increases fat burning by 10.7 per cent and late afternoon (5 p.m.) caffeine consumption increases fat burning by a whopping 29 per cent! 

But wait, we know caffeine consumption, even after 1 p.m., has been shown to disrupt nighttime sleep in most people. So, why would consuming caffeine at 5 p.m. be a good idea? Let’s unpack the nuance and see how we can apply it to our daily habits:

• We know there is a strong genetic component to caffeine metabolism. Some people stay jittery for hours after drinking a half-caf latte at 9 a.m., while other people can drink a double espresso at 9 p.m. and go to sleep without a problem
  
• Variations in the gene CYP2A6 are the primary genetic drivers of caffeine metabolism
  
• Oral contraceptives have been shown to slow down caffeine metabolism, while nicotine speeds it up
  
• Why did the recent study show such a big difference between fat oxidation rates in the morning versus the afternoon? The likely answer is cortisol levels. Cortisol levels are highest in the mornings (we’ll circle back to this), contributing to a higher fat-burning environment. Then as those cortisol levels come down over the course of the day, caffeine has a more significant impact on fat-oxidation rates
  
• Among the different caffeine-induced fat-burning strategies featured in the study, the strategy that burned the most fat involved consuming 2-3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight in the afternoon, combined with a 30-minute bout of moderate-intensity exercise
  
• The study did not test for the fat-burning effects of caffeine during midday. Yet I think it’s reasonable to assume that if fat oxidation increased by 10 per cent at 8 a.m. and by 30 per cent at 5 p.m., you would likely get a 20 per cent increase in fat oxidation between 12–1 p.m., post-caffeine consumption

Using Caffeine to Burn Fat

OK, how do we distill this information into bite-sized tactics we can apply to our daily lives?

• It would be helpful to know how well you naturally metabolize caffeine. You may already have an idea about this, but if you are interested in a genetic test to confirm your suspicions, feel free to reach out to me directly about genetic testing recommendations. As a reminder, genetic testing can be helpful in understanding various potential risk factors, and which lifestyle interventions apply most to your specific wellness goals
  
• If fat burning is a primary health goal, and you know you metabolize caffeine quickly enough without impacting nighttime sleep, consider having a coffee after lunch and then doing 30-40 minutes of  Zone 2 cardiovascular conditioning twice per week

The Cortisol Factor

Circling back to high morning cortisol levels and how they relate to a caffeine strategy, other wellness professionals and I have often recommended delaying morning caffeine consumption for 60-90 minutes after waking.

It’s among the least popular recommendations I make, but the reasoning for it is to allow cortisol to come down slightly from its circadian high before using any stimulant (like caffeine) that increases cortisol further.

In my experience, pushback against this recommendation often stems from a lack of understanding of caffeine’s mechanism as an adenosine blocker versus an arousing stimulant. As a reminder and for the purposes of this article, caffeine blocks the sleep pressure chemical, adenosine, from its receptors in the brain, versus providing a high-powered jolt of energy and alertness.

Therefore, delaying caffeine intake for 60-90 minutes serves two purposes: it allows the aforementioned cortisol levels to come down, and it enhances its impact by blocking adenosine levels that start to build during our waking hours.

• Try substituting 15 minutes of natural light within 30 minutes of waking instead of that immediate caffeine hit. Remember, your perceived need for immediate caffeine is more mental than physical in the first couple hours after waking, and morning light is a great way to enhance your circadian rhythm
  
• Lastly, when considering leveraging caffeine for its fat-burning properties, remember that no change to your routine is worth sacrificing high quality sleep, so proceed accordingly 

As always, let me know if you have any specific questions or concerns.

Have a healthy day!