Coffee in your diet could help you lose weight

Yes, you heard it right…researchers have concluded that drinking four cups of coffee per day could reduce how much fat you gain after eating unhealthy food, according to a study on rats.

The experiment discovered that caffeine stopped the body from producing as much fat in the blood and meant fat cells stored less inside them than normal.

The rats consumed the equivalent caffeine of four cups of coffee and ate a carbohydrate-heavy diet high in fat and sugar for four weeks.

They gained 16 per cent less weight than rats in a non-caffeine group and built up 22 per cent less body fat.

Scientists said this could be because the effects of caffeine reduce action in a gene which is known to contribute to weight gain.

The researchers, from the University of Illinois, set out to see if a type of herbal tea called mate tea had health benefits, and found caffeine from coffee had the same effect.