Is it true? I just saw something about caffeine as my COFFEE causes belly fat. I have never had problems til this thyroid thing came around. Always big hips and smaller waist. I just figured this was happening because of menopause and thyroid...ect...

Everything I look up says it is true?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

My naturopath says not to drink it as it triggers insulin which causes fat. It bugs me that that might be the case.

That's what I keep reading....

But this just happened over the last couple of years getting worse.... I look back at pictures and get really upset....

Geez, sorry lkelley36, I love my coffee too. I'm trying to limit to one cup per morning and then herbal teas in the evening. Any chance you can just limit the coffee?

LOOK at the source of your information. Are there double blinded studies, showing that this is the case?

You'd have to give people identical diets, except that half got caffeine at a very specific dose and the other half got something else. Then measure their insulin levels after these meals.

And do it multiple times. At different times of day.

With people who were as alike as you could possibly get them, including knowing that, prior to the testing, at X time of day, their insulin levels were Y, and a meal with no caffeine raised their insulin levels by Z.

Something tells me that the people who are claiming this do NOT have that rigorous proof I'm talking about.

When in doubt, do NOT google. Google scholar. That's where you'll find the actual studies, if they exist.

And, maybe find that there is a study. But it was on 10 people. And it's never been replicated. (Always a bad sign, in science.)

Till then, I will happily drink my tea.

And the occasional coffee. I like coffee.

But I love tea.

AHA!

I just took my own advice. Study after study showing that caffeine increases insulin sensitivity (which means that your body needs to make less of it), specifically lowers the risk of T2D.

Just go to google scholar and search: caffeine and insulin.

Really interesting.

It's menopause. Estrogen is what gives women that hourglass shape. As estrogen declines, the fat goes to the waist;the hips, butt and legs stay the same or even get smaller.

There are many conflicting studies on caffeine and coffee. Some good, some bad.

It's interesting, Liz, that if you search ONLY for the interaction of caffeine and insulin, all I found were studies showing good effects.

If you worry about every little report of every little study that shows up in the media you will drive yourself crazy. Dr Westman, Dr Fung, Dr Atkins,and Dr Bernstein (to name 4) all include coffee in their eating plans. That's good enough for me. I drink several cups of coffee a day. In hasn't inhibited my weight loss. My waist has thickened some but it is still many inches smaller than it was when I began. I'm in my 60's so that's to be expected. Don't worry. Be happy.

Jean

I don't know what is going on with my body. I love my coffee! I am thinking this was caused by the Armour being sold and changed. I have since tried compounded... Which I felt better in and lost the hot flashes. Not to naturthroid and some hot flashes are back, got to get tested and see where I am. I am certainly not losing back my weight and I just won't to stay in bed. But thanks for thoughts!!

I will tell you, menopause causes belly fat big time!

That IS interesting. I didn't do a search, am just remembering back to the days when all my pregnant friends gave up coffee because it supposedly caused birth defects. A few years later it was fine again. I know I've read in various diet books over the year that caffeine can mess with insulin, but who knows what those claims are based on? I've never found a relationship for myself, so I ignore it.

However, I do know that menopause has caused a dramatic shift in how I carry weight and how others who are aging carry their weight. Gary Taubes talks about it as well in Good Calories, Bad Calories, I think.

lkelley36, if you've not read it, it might be helpful to you. Also, thyroid supplementation will not overcome the effects of estrogen depletion caused by normal aging; they are entirely different hormones working in different ways.

ON my labs my cortisol was low at 2.8 ug/dl (4.0-22ug/dL) and estradiol was <20 pg/ml.Which on my labs it says premenopausal. Thanks everyone.

GreekRibs, I do like tea, but I love my coffee!!
I want honey in tea... and I don't use artificial sweetners.

Oh, and Liz, I will look that up!

Liz, I worked in L&D when I was having my babies. I cut back on caffeine then, too. But not because of supposed teratogenic effects. More because those little hearts beat VERY fast, already. They don't need the caffeine to boost the HR any higher!

I think that caffeine has gotten more bad press from more people, with little to no reason, than pretty much any no calorie natural substance known. Some people use WAY too much of it. But "Cut back if you feel shaky, or you are constantly cycling between energetic and exhausted" is entirely different from all this nonsense about its supposed effects on this or that hormone, or metabolic process, when there is ZERO data to back it up.