Researchers Admit Green Coffee Bean Extract Weight-Loss Study Was Bogus

If you've heard of green coffee bean extract, then you've probably heard some of the amazing-sounding claims about how it helps people lose more than 17 pounds, 105 percent of their body weight, and 16 percent of their body fat without diet and exercise—all in just 22 weeks. The claims sound too good to be true—and the fact is, they are. Two authors of the study that "proved" these claims just retracted their research entirely and said that the extract does not, in fact, help you lose weight after all.

The research was originally released by a Texas-based company called Applied Food Sciences (AFS) back in 2012—and unsurprisingly, the company sells a green coffee extract product to consumers. AFS used the study’s findings to persuade consumers to buy their product, and it was even featured on The Dr. Oz Show.

Fast forward to last month: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint stating that the AFS study was flawed. Back in 2010, AFS paid Indian researchers to test whether Green Coffee Antioxidant (GCA), a supplement containing green coffee extract, helped overweight adults slim down. In its complaint, the FTC says that the study’s lead researcher tinkered with the research procedure: He changed the participants’ weights when recording them, altered the length of the trial, and hired different researchers to rewrite the study when he couldn’t get it published (and that's not even the full extent of his shameful actions). Of course, all of this was done in the name of getting favorable results that would help sell the GCA product.

After the faulty research was published, AFS created a press release all about the findings and how they were featured on The Dr. Oz Show. “Applied Food Sciences knew or should have known that this botched study didn’t prove anything,” says Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “In publicizing the results, it helped fuel the green coffee phenomenon.”

MORE: 9 Diet Changes Real Women Made to Lose More Than 50 Pounds

Luckily, the FTC won the battle, and the sneaky AFS company now owes a $3.5 million settlement to the FTC. What’s more, the company is required to have “scientific substantiation” for any future weight-loss claims, including two legitimate human clinical tests.

Remember: Any product promising to help you get fit quick without diet or exercise is lying at best—and may even be unsafe. If you want to lose weight, supplements are never the answer (and if you need help deciding whether a product is legitimate, check out these seven ways to tell if a diet product is too good to be true).

Instead of trying to take an ineffective and potentially dangerous shortcut, check out all of our tips on how to lose weight the healthy way if you're trying to slim down.

MORE: The Dangers of Garcinia Cambogia Extract Diet Pills: What You Need to Know

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