I’ve said it before that there are as many diet plans as there are models of cars and like each model of car, each diet has its fans and loyal supporters. Like the cars, not every diet is a good fit for everyone. Everyone is different, has different physical makeup and health conditions. While someone will react well to a certain diet, others won’t react as well. While one diet addresses certain health conditions, they may aggravate other health conditions.

Millions of Americans are actively pursuing one diet after another. The weight loss and diet industry in America is a multi-billion dollar business. Many people purchase specific diet plans and the shakes, meals, bars and other food items that the diet plan offers. Many others turn to more natural diet means and supplements, like the products that contain konjac root, which swells when taken with water and fills part of the stomach, decreasing one’s appetite and desire to eat very much.

Others turn to exercise and self-impose diets, using self-control to resist eating the foods that tend to put on the weight. They cut out sugary foods and drinks and bad carbs – white wheat flour, White potatoes and other starchy foods. They also cut out fatty foods, processed meats and pre-packaged foods.

So, in the ever inevitable search of finding ways to lose weight, have you ever considered coffee?

According to this recent study:

Scientists from the University of Nottingham have discovered that drinking a cup of coffee can stimulate ‘brown fat’, the body’s own fat-fighting defenses, which could be the key to tackling obesity and diabetes.

The pioneering study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, is one of the first to be carried out in humans to find components which could have a direct effect on ‘brown fat’ functions, an important part of the human body which plays a key role in how quickly we can burn calories as energy.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT), also known as brown fat, is one of two types of fat found in humans and other mammals. Initially only attributed to babies and hibernating mammals, it was discovered in recent years that adults can have brown fat too. Its main function is to generate body heat by burning calories (opposed to white fat, which is a result of storing excess calories).

People with a lower body mass index (BMI) therefore have a higher amount of brown fat.

Just remember, that there have been many studies on coffee over recent years. Some of those reports warn against drinking coffee because of the caffeine and its affect on the heart, heartrate and blood pressure. Other reports say that a modest amount of coffee can help the bodies metabolism and even help improve cognitive function.

Coffee has its supporters and its enemies. The key, like most everything else is moderation.