Amount of Evidence: Reasonable Potential Benefits: Reasonable Safety: Very High
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is green coffee extract?
Green coffee extract is an extract of unroasted, green coffee beans. The extract is typically very low in caffeine and has similar polyphenol composition to regular coffee (with the main polyphenol being chlorogenic acid), which makes it a great choice if you want to get the benefits of coffee without ingesting too much caffeine. In this article, we will look at the main benefits and side effects of a green coffee extract, and how to take it the right way.
Potential benefits
It is important to note that all of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. In general, the higher the dose you take, the more pronounced the effects will be. However, they do reach a plateau at a certain point. We will discuss how much green coffee extract to consume later in this article.
Also, there are many additional benefits and side effects associated with coffee that have to do with caffeine. The benefits mentioned below in this article are specifically related to coffee without caffeine.
Major benefits
Lowered blood pressure – The polyphenols can greatly reduce blood pressure, especially the blood pressure increase from caffeine. The degree of reduction is around 10mmHg, which is a significant difference.
Reduced inflammation – Coffee appears to decrease some inflammatory cytokines. This likely applies to green coffee extract as well.
Fat loss – Unfortunately, this effect is not as strong or reliable as some people claim it to be. Regular coffee appears to be quite effective for fat loss but that seems to be because of the combination of polyphenols and caffeine.
Antioxidant effects – The polyphenols in the extract have been shown to decrease oxidation in the body. This is probably the main reason why coffee appears to lower the chance of cancer.
Minor benefits
Improved skin quality – A high intake of coffee polyphenols leads to an improvement in skin quality. Specifically, they are able to reduce acne.
Improved dental health – Green coffee extracts have been shown to have anti-microbial properties and can specifically protect your gums.
Reduced muscle soreness – This benefit is most notable if you overtrain or if you are a beginner at resistance training.
Increased blood flow – While the effect is not significant, the antioxidants in the extract have been shown to increase blood flow.
Increased longevity – The polyphenols in a green coffee extract (and coffee in general) have been associated with an increase in longevity in animal studies. Unfortunately, there are not enough human studies yet to know what the effect of these polyphenols is as far as slowing down aging.
Increased cognition – This effect is most notable in people with those who have a poorer cognition at baseline.
Protection from DNA damage – Coffee has been shown to reduce DNA damage. This effect appears to be most notable in unhealthy individuals, such as diabetics. It may and may not apply to green tea extract.
Lowered heart rate – This effect is likely caused indirectly and appears to be a byproduct of green coffee’s ability to burn fat and lower blood pressure.
Metal chelation – The polyphenols in green coffee extracts can act as metal chelators and can help you detoxify from heavy metals.
Reduced iron absorption – Green coffee can lower iron absorption by around 10-30%. This can be seen as a benefit for those who have too much iron in their bloodstream, which is just as common (if not more common) as iron deficiency.
Unproven benefits
The effect of a green coffee extract on these parameters is either not sufficiently researched or the science shows little to no efficacy in these areas.
Metabolic rate – The polyphenols in a green coffee extract have not been correlated with increased metabolism. Coffee itself leads to a small increase in metabolism but that mostly has to do with caffeine, not the polyphenols.
Estrogen – There doesn’t seem to be any significant connection between a green coffee extract and estrogen levels.
Cholesterol – Unfortunately, the green coffee extract does not seem to have any notable impact on LDL or HDL cholesterol levels.
Triglycerides – No influence on fasting or postprandial triglycerides was ever noted.
Increased well-being – Unfortunately, this effect has only been noted in unhealthy individuals. It may, however, apply to healthy people as well.
Bone health – Green coffee extracts do not significantly influence bone mineral density.
CRP (C-reactive protein) – No strong connection between coffee and CRP has been observed.
Liver health – The evidence is somewhat weak in this regard. However, there is at least some amount of data that shows coffee may be beneficial for liver health in the long term.
Possible side effects
These side effects are dose-dependent and the risk for them increases (most often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as the dose is increased. Some of the side effects are relevant only at very high doses.
Decreased absorption of certain minerals – The polyphenols in a green coffee extract worsen the absorption of iron by 10-30%, which may and may not be a concern to you. Since a somewhat high percentage of people are deficient in iron, you may want to avoid green coffee extracts close to your meals to minimize this effect, especially if you are experiencing signs of iron deficiency. On the other hand, this effect can also be viewed as a benefit since many people have too much iron in their bloodstream, which can lead to iron toxicity and faster aging.
Nausea – Large amounts of a green coffee extract can cause nausea. This is the most notable short-term side effect for most people. Nausea caused by a green coffee extract is not linked to stomach damage.
Diarrhea – This effect can happen even at relatively low doses and varies from person to person. It is, however, not as common for a green coffee extract as it is for regular coffee.
Who should not take green coffee extract?
You should probably avoid taking a the extract if you:
suffer from an iron deficiency – The polyphenols in coffee have been shown to decrease the absorption of iron by 10-30%.
Who will benefit the most?
You should definitely consider taking a green coffee extract if you:
love the taste of coffee but do not want to take in the caffeine
have iron overload – coffee polyphenols can help you flush the excess iron out of your system.
How much should you take?
Since a green coffee extract typically contains little to no caffeine, that is not something you have to worry about. You can take as much as you want and it is not going to cause caffeine-related problems to any notable extent.
What we want to look at instead is how much green coffee extract will allow you to get most of the health benefits.
In general, 120-300 mg worth of chlorogenic acid is usually enough to derive most of the benefits. However, the benefits do not seem to plateau even if take more than that.
So if you have a green coffee extract that is 50% chlorogenic acid, you want to take 240-300 mg.
While you could probably derive slightly more benefits from taking over 300 mg of chlorogenic acid a day, it is by no means necessary and the additional benefits will not be as significant then.
It is important to note that the effects of a green coffee extract and the polyphenols in it are cumulative. Therefore, you need to take it on regular basis to notice long-term benefits.
Best time to take green coffee extract
The time of the day you take a green coffee extract doesn’t matter. However, there are two rules you need to follow:
1) Take it on an empty stomach if you can (food worsens the absorption of the polyphenols in coffee). 2) Do not take the extract too close to your meal (because it can decrease the absorption of iron).
Also, if you consume caffeine, it is best to take a green coffee extract with it since the polyphenols in the extract have a synergistic effect with caffeine.
Interactions with other supplements
Caffeine The polyphenols in a green coffee extract negate some of the potential side effects of caffeine. The combination also appears to be quite effective for fat loss and a few other effects.
Vitamin C Vitamin C appears to enhance the absorption of polyphenols in a green coffee extract. It can also protect iron from becoming less bioavailable after you consume coffee polyphenols.
Ubiquinone Ubiquinone (a metabolite of CoQ10) increases the anti-oxidative effects of many polyphenols. Antioxidants in a green coffee extract also increase CoQ10’s ability to protect the liver during reserpine toxicity.
Turmeric This combination appears to be very effective at preventing or slowing down the growth of colon cancer.
Iron Since a green coffee extract and the antioxidants in it inhibit the absorption of iron by around 10-30%, they may increase your iron needs. If you notice a sign of deficiency or are prone to it, you may want to increase your iron intake and supplements are one way to go. Do not take iron together with coffee or its antioxidants though, so the absorption isn’t decreased. Also, do not take this as a call to action to start taking iron if you are not deficient because some people tend to have too much iron in their system. Excess iron in the blood can also lead to health complications.
L-Theanine This combination may protect you from cognitive decline to some extent.
Quercetin Quercetin can increase the absorption of coffee polyphenols.
Soy isoflavones The combination seems to lead to AMPK activation, which may have a positive effect on increasing lifespan.
Whey protein Whey protein negates many of the beneficial effects of coffee polyphenols.
Where to buy a green coffee extract
Amazon seems to be the best option for ordering green coffee extract in most countries. They offer some very affordable products that are backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands there without having to spend time searching through other markets on the internet.
FAQ
It is not yet known if you develop a tolerance for a green coffee extract and its polyphenols over time. For this reason, it is best to cycle the coffee and not take it every once in a while. For example, you can take it on weekdays and not take it during the weekend.
Yes, there is hardly any caffeine in the extract so it will not impact your sleep in a notable way. The polyphenols in a green coffee extract do not impact your sleep in any negative way either.
A green coffee extract can lose potency over time.
Keep your green coffee extract in a cold, dark, and dry place and they will remain just as potent for many years.
In the short term, the peak plasma concentrations of the polyphenols are reached around 1-2 hours after you ingest coffee. After that, the concentrations start slowly diminishing until they become undetectable, which usually takes around 24 hours.
In the long term, it takes around a month to start noticing the benefits of a green coffee extract. It is important to note that the effects of a green coffee extract are cumulative. Therefore, you need to take it on regular basis to notice long-term benefits.
Green coffee extracts are extremely safe, assuming you don’t have an iron deficiency. If you do, the polyphenols in coffee can worsen it and deplete you of iron even further.
No, it is perfectly fine to take a green coffee extract during a fast. In fact, the antioxidants in it are actually going to increase some of the benefits of fasting.
Absolutely. In fact, it can notably lower blood pressure. The degree of reduction is around 10 mmHg, which is a significant change.
References
Most of the information provided in this guide is based on scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.
Anecdotal evidence (from reports on Reddit, YouTube, and other sources) is also taken into account unless it contradicts scientific research.
