How To Optimize Caffeine Intake & Timing For Fat Loss

Elliot Reimers
Written By: Elliot Reimers
October 18th, 2013
Updated: June 13th, 2020
Categories: Articles Fat Loss
38.1K Reads
Does caffeine really help your fat burning efforts, and if so, when and how much should be taken? Fine tune your caffeine intake and bolster your fat loss efforts.

You’re likely familiar with the popularity of the stimulant drug caffeine given most people habitually use it in some capacity. Caffeine has been used for decades as an ergogenic aid/performance-enhancing supplement due to its ability to “excite” the central nervous system.  Naturally, the use of caffeine specifically for fat loss is a popular area of research in the health/fitness industry.

Does caffeine really hold potential to enhance your fat burning efforts, and if so, when should one take it to maximize their fat loss? Moreover, what is the proper dosage to take in and what are the pros/cons to continual use of caffeine. These are all questions to be examined in this article, so without further ado let’s move onto the next sections.

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What is caffeine?

It’s pertinent to briefly cover the chemical nature of caffeine and what it actually is. The chemical nomenclature for caffeine is “1,3,7-trimethylxanthine” (don’t worry if you’re not a chem whiz, I’ll try and keep this in layman’s terms). Methylxanthines are alkaline, organic (i.e. carbon-based) substances that stimulate the CNS and heart, and they are naturally abundant in tea leaves, coffee beans, some fruits and other foods/plants.

Physiologically speaking, the ingestion of methylxanthines postpone the breakdown of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) via inhibition of phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes; thus caffeine is considered a PDE inhibitor. Since cAMP and cGMP are crucial messengers in cell signal transduction, the metabolic processes in the cell are sent into “overdrive” after the ingestion of PDE inhibitors.

Does caffeine help fat loss efforts, and if so, how?

There is some speculation that caffeine may enhance fatty acid oxidation through increases in catecholamines (such as adrenaline).[2] While research on caffeine’s ergogenic effects in athletic performance is abundant, there remains to be conclusive evidence that caffeine ingestion significantly alters substrate metabolism in muscles during exercise.[1] That being said, there are other possible mechanisms for caffeine to enhance fat loss, so we can’t write it off as useless just yet.

One of the proposed mechanisms for caffeine enhancing fat loss is through an increase in 24-hour energy expenditure (via increased metabolic rate). Moreover, the thermic effect of meals ingested with caffeine are more pronounced than meals ingested without caffeine. [3]

Despite the relatively short half-life of caffeine, the duration of its effects may last for several hours after ingestion. It appears that caffeine, when coingested with carbohydrates, does enhance carbohydrate oxidation during endurance training, but this likely mediated through enhanced intestinal absorption as opposed to increased catecholamine levels.[4]

The most compelling evidence, in my opinion, for caffeine use enhancing fat loss is actually through its effects on exercise performance. What I would argue, based on the research, is that since caffeine has been shown to augment both aerobic and anaerobic exercise, as well as lower the rate of perceived exertion (RPE), that the “extra” fat loss achieved is a secondary effect due to the increased exercise output.[5,6] Essentially, after taking caffeine, you generally have an increased athletic performance capacity, thus you can work harder and longer than those who workout without caffeine use beforehand; this in turn would likely increase caloric burn from exercise.

When should caffeine be taken for fat loss and at what dosage?

Most studies examining caffeine’s effect on athletic performance are carried out roughly 1-2 hours after ingestion caffeine. It’s impossible to give all-inclusive dose timings for trainees since different individuals may metabolize caffeine at different rates. Furthermore, caffeine absorption may be slowed with concomitant ingestion of nutrients.

As a starting point (and to assess your tolerance), try taking caffeine on an empty stomach about an hour before training. If you prefer to take caffeine with a meal, give yourself a bit more time before hitting the gym. If you find your performance in the gym is indeed bolstered after caffeine ingestion, than there is little reason to alter your approach. On the contrary, if you notice no change or a decrease in performance, you will either want to adjust your dose and/or manipulate the dose timing.

Dosage wise, it is generally recommended to take 1-3mg per kg of bodyweight (remember: 2.2lb=1kg).[7] If you’re a 180lb (~81kg) athlete, your dose range will land around 80 to 240mg. Do not go too crazy with caffeine dosing since there isn’t much extra benefit to superfluous amounts and it can in fact be lethal/toxic at high enough doses (>5g). Be safe and methodical with caffeine; it is a drug, so treat it as such.

References:

1. Graham, T. E., Battram, D. S., Dela, F., El-Sohemy, A., & Thong, F. S. (2008). Does caffeine alter muscle carbohydrate and fat metabolism during exercise?.Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 33(6), 1311-1318.

2. Kobayashi-Hattori, K., Mogi, A., Matsumoto, Y., & Takita, T. (2005). Effect of caffeine on the body fat and lipid metabolism of rats fed on a high-fat diet.Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry, 69(11), 2219-2223.

3. Acheson, K. J., Zahorska-Markiewicz, B., Pittet, P. H., Anantharaman, K., & Jequier, E. (1980). Caffeine and coffee: their influence on metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal weight and obese individuals. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 33(5), 989-997.

4. Yeo, S. E., Jentjens, R. L., Wallis, G. A., & Jeukendrup, A. E. (2005). Caffeine increases exogenous carbohydrate oxidation during exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 99(3), 844-850.

5. Doherty, M., & Smith, P. M. (2005). Effects of caffeine ingestion on rating of perceived exertion during and after exercise: a meta‐analysis. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 15(2), 69-78.

6. Doherty, M., Smith, P. M., Hughes, M. G., & Davison, R. R. (2004). Caffeine lowers perceptual response and increases power output during high-intensity cycling. Journal of sports sciences, 22(7), 637-643.

7. Del Coso J, Salinero JJ, González-Millán C, Abián-Vicén J, Pérez-González B. Dose response effects of a caffeine-containing energy drink on muscle performance: a repeated measures design. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012 May 8;9(1):21. PubMed PMID: 22569090.

3 Comments
Ruth A Barrett
Posted on: Thu, 08/13/2020 - 02:24

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6903805/
shows the placebo and caffeine ingesting groups had the same energy expenditure, but the caf group burned way more belly fat

JohnBee70
Posted on: Tue, 10/29/2013 - 18:22

caffeine is a chemical compound. Water is a chemical compound. Water won't do anything unless it causes a reaction in the body and is metabolized. Same as the stuff in water. There's caffeine in the water, you get a buzz, that buzz makes you amp up your actions and you burn fat, and work harder and build muscle, and get more supple connective tissues, and it's beneficial. there are no shortcuts or magic pills for exercise or growth. It's all about activity. Activity inside the body sometimes reflects outside the body (or superficially), some activities of the mind are counter-productive like wanting an easier way to exercise, or live in a world that worships forgiveness. they both lead to dishonest genuine failures. So, sweat your ass off, clean off the equipment when you're done, don't spit on the floor at the gym (stupid pigs), and do long workouts for real stamina. Tuff guys bounce, instead of break when they feel hard impact (like some retard who prayed for forgiveness in the morning, then made an illegal U-turn from the outside lane and pushed a motorcycle in the inside lane through a retaining wall on the other side of the street.) . Maybe if he'd been drinking coffee, his brain would have reacted to the bike that was behind and to the left of him ! There's thinking, and then there's thinking. Reality defines the quality of thinking and decisions! (not forgiveness, not equality, not religious freedoms [or the lies that they depend upon]. So think! Do something new! Carry caffeine pills on long trips! One thing's for sure, if you don't snack yourself to death, you'll burn off unwanted tissues , and coffee helps (so does black tea "black is beautiful !" ) ha,ha! Old farts love to run off at the mouth ! Next?!!

Nicolaos
Posted on: Mon, 10/21/2013 - 03:11

very interesting.
So in closing, is it fair to say that there is little to no solid evidence suggesting caffeine burns fat or expends calories directly, but rather indirectly through enabling and facilitating a higher level of energy expenditure, much like a pre-workout?

The question that follows then (at least to my mind) is, are all caffeine sources created equally?
Excluding pre-workout formulas (which as we know contain substances other than caffeine to maximize on energy and endurance) is there a best conventional caffeine source to take? i.e green tea V.S freeze dried coffee V.S filter coffee/espresso etc.
Would this depend solely upon the mg of caffeine associated with each source, or would sources have different rates of absorption and therefore affect bio-availability?

Im a bit of a caffeine addict, sorry for the barrage of questions.