Dr Michael Mosley shares warning for coffee drinkers

It is thought that almost 100 million cups of coffee are consumed in the UK every day.

And among avid coffee drinkers, most of them stick to around two cups daily.

While there are supposed health benefits to the beverage, there are some potential risks to consider.

Writing in the Sunday Times, diet expert Doctor Michael Mosley issued a warning to people who drink coffee on a daily basis.

He stated that while there are pros to the hot drink, there are also cons.

As an example, it can help improve brain and heart health due to the fact it contains flavanols and antioxidants.

But he revealed that it is important to monitor the time of day you drink coffee.

Dr Mosley said it is best to wait a few hours after waking up to consume the drink.

The creator of the Fast 800 and 5:2 diets, quoted researcher James Bettsfrom the University of Bath, who states that poor sleep raises levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the body.

As a result, blood sugar levels can become too high after a bad night’s rest.

This means it is advisable to drink coffee after eating breakfast to better control your metabolism, according to both Professor Bettsfrom and Dr Mosely.

But Dr Mosley added that drinking up to three cups of coffee a day can help your metabolism, boosting weight loss efforts.

This is supported by a study, published in the BMJ this year.

Scientists from the Karolinska Intitutet in Sweden found that drinking up to three cups a day could help prevent both obesity and diabetes.

The study said: “Our mendelian randomization finding suggests that caffeine might, at least in part, explain the inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes.

“Randomised controlled trials are warranted to assess whether non-caloric caffeine containing beverages might play a role in reducing the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.”

And a separate study, published in Scientific Reports in 2019, yielded similar results.

It suggested that caffeine could trigger the body’s fat-fighting defences to help tackle obesity and diabetes.

“In conclusion, these results provide new complementary in vitro and in vivo evidence that caffeine (and a coffee beverage) can promote brown adipose tissue function at doses compatible with human use,” the study said.

To safely lose weight the NHS recommends:

• Eat a healthy balanced diet
• Exercise regularly
• Speaking to your GP for advice.