The Surprising Way Coffee Affects Your Appetite

Chances are, you probably think that coffee suppresses your appetite. After all, that's been the word on the street for years now. But a new study from the journal Appetite actually suggests the opposite: Researchers found that coffee may not affect your appetite at all.

Here’s the deal: Australian researchers had nine women, average age 26, come into the lab four separate times. Each time, they gave them three things: a standard breakfast, a placebo or a caffeine pill, and one of two drinks  (water or decaf coffee). This resulted in four combinations (for the four visits): water with a placedbo pill, water with a caffeine pill, decaf coffee with a placebo pill, and decaf coffee with a caffeine pill. Then, two hours later, researchers gave subjects more of their selected drink and another pill. Two and a half hours after that, the participants were given a buffet lunch and told to eat as much as they wanted. In addition to that, researchers tested subjects' breath, blood, and appetite sensations between meals.

MORE: 16 Signs You're Obsessed with Coffee

So what happened? Get ready for this shocker: Nothing of note! Seriously. Regardless of which drink they had—coffee, caffeine, decaf or none at all—they all ended up eating the same amount at the buffet each time and also had similar appetite levels. 

Granted, the study has its limitations. For starters, it was a very small sample size. Also, the researchers say in the study that the women had a “relatively high” level of dietary restraint, meaning some could have wanted to eat more but didn’t because they were watching their weight (which means their eating choices weren't necessarily indicative of their appetite). In the end, though, it’s still interesting to think that coffee may not be such an hunger stopper after all, in which case, it’s best, as always, to stick to a healthy diet all on your own. Check out these easy ways to be a mindful eater.

MORE: How to Make Your Own Iced Coffee Concentrate at Home

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