Visceral fat: Popular hot drink could help cut abdominal fat

Dr Zoe Williams discusses visceral fat on This Morning

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This is because it serves two purposes, to protect the internal organs and to act as a reserve source of energy.

With regard to coffee, the healthiest and most effective form is black coffee, one with no milk or sugar.

According to author Lauren Manaker: “Black coffee is calorie-free and is chock-full of antioxidants, and some data shows the caffeine provided by coffee may support weight loss goals.

“Once you start adding loads of sugar…and other ingredients to your coffee, you may have a recipe for gaining more belly fat. Stick to pure and plain coffee to support your belly fat loss goals”.

Drinking coffee, however, is not the only way to lose visceral fat.

It is important to maintain a balance between a healthy diet and enough physical activity.

The NHS recommends a minimum of two and a half hours a week or more of exercise.

As well as contributing to a loss of weight, exercise can improve mental health by releasing mood improving endorphins.

Coffee too can help to improve mental health.

A 2011 study on American women found that: “depression decreases with increasing caffeinated coffee consumption”.

While these results were positive, the authors cautioned: “Further investigations are needed to confirm this finding and to determine whether usual caffeinated coffee consumption can contribute to depression prevention”.

More recently, doctors have been led to believe that coffee’s caffeine competitor, tea, could provide genuine mental health benefits.

Speaking to the Express, Dr Carrie Ruxton said there was recent data to suggest tea could improve mental health.

While it may be assumed that tea’s impact forms of part of a cultural placebo present in the UK Dr Ruxton said: “The interesting thing about tea [is] because it’s kind of part of our psyche it’s very difficult to say is it the fact that it’s this familiar taste and ritual that causes the psychological effect [but] it’s definitely physiological rather than societal”.

Until recently when it was usurped by coffee, tea was the most popular drink in the UK.

Although coffee has exceeded it in this regard, the drink remains popular among many.

There is even research to suggest tea could play a role in maintaining heart health.

A study published in the journal Nutrition and Food technology concluded: “from the available evidence…including daily tea intake as part of a healthy habitual dietary pattern could be associated with lower cardiovascular risks”.

Other studies have suggested that there could also be a link between tea consumption and dementia.

However, more research is needed in order to establish a link between the drink and the neurodegenerative condition.

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