Regular coffee consumption was associated with lower levels of total and visceral body fat in a new Finnish study, although researchers stressed that the findings do not prove that drinking coffee directly causes fat loss.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Oulu, analysed data from 2,264 participants from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 when they were 46 years old. Researchers examined coffee consumption alongside body composition, metabolic markers and sex hormones.
Coffee Drinkers Had Lower Visceral Fat
Participants who reported higher coffee consumption had lower total body fat and lower visceral fat despite having similar body mass indexes. They also had greater skeletal muscle mass compared with people who consumed less coffee.
Visceral fat is the fat stored around internal organs in the abdominal area and is associated with a higher risk of metabolic and cardiovascular problems. However, the new study examined associations rather than testing coffee as a weight-loss treatment.
Researchers also found lower circulating levels of branched-chain amino acids among people who consumed more coffee. These compounds have previously been linked with insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes when chronically elevated.
Stronger Metabolic Associations Found in Men
The study identified some differences between men and women.
Among men, higher coffee consumption was associated with a more favourable glucose-insulin profile as well as differences in testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin levels. Associations with hormones were more limited among women.
Researchers said the findings suggest hormonal and metabolic pathways could partly explain the relationship between coffee consumption and body composition.
However, the study was observational and cross-sectional. This means it cannot establish that coffee itself causes lower visceral fat. Lifestyle and other factors may also contribute to the observed differences.
More Research Needed
The research was published in the European Journal of Nutrition on July 16, 2026. The researchers said further longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to determine whether coffee directly produces the observed metabolic and hormonal changes and which compounds may be responsible.
The findings therefore suggest an association between habitual coffee consumption and a leaner body composition, rather than establishing coffee as a simple method for eliminating belly fat.
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