Green Coffee Bean: Wave goodbye to the nation's favourite brown beverage, because it’s going green!

Believe it or not Green Coffee beans are the seed of the Coffea Plant. The Coffea Plant is an evergreen shrub of the Rubiceae family [1]. Its natural habitat is the evergreen forests of Asia and Africa.

Under good conditions the plant can grow to 2-5 metres and in bloom will produce small white flowers. The Coffea plant also produces red berries. The berries themselves are described as sweet, crisp and tart.
The berries contain a grooved green seed, we otherwise know as a Coffee bean. Granted, the Coffee beans you are used to seeing in your local Coffee house are brown, this is because these are the mature and roasted beans. [2]

The use of Green Coffee bean as food and beverage dates far back into human existence. In 1,000AD Ethiopians mulled and fermented Green Coffee beans into a wine-like drink and consumed it on a daily basis. Many thousands of years later, the first shipment of Green Coffee beans entered Europe, in 1615 into the ports of Venice. From there the first coffee shop was opened, and the Venetian coffee industry has been booming ever since.

The Green Coffee bean is rich in health promoting Phenols. Phenols are scientifically recorded as being anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-mutagenic [4]. The Phenol within Green Coffee beans is called Chlorogenic acid (CGA) [5]. “Chloro” comes from the Greek meaning “Green light”, this is shown in the colour of the immature and CGA rich bean.[6] CGA is a composite phenol, made up of caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and 2,3-dimethoxycinnamic acid, all bound by ester bonds. [5]

Why can’t I just drink normal coffee?

“Normal Coffee” the traditional brown bean used to make our beloved Americanos and Lattes do not possess the same health promoting chemicals that Green Coffee Beans do. In the process of roasting and browning CGA in the green bean is degraded and lost [5]. Brown bean, and roasted Coffee only really contains the health benefits that caffeine provides.

What are the health benefits of Green Coffee beans?

The primary health claim of Green Coffee bean is its contribution to weight loss. Despite this, Green Coffee bean also has therapeutic effects on high blood pressure (hypertension), Cardiovascular health and Alzheimer’s Disease [8]. Moreover, Green Coffee bean is also a potent antioxidant, which has been shown to have 500 times the antioxidant power of Vitamin C. [7]

Can Green Coffee Bean really make you shed pounds?

A traditional aid marketed for weight loss is caffeine, although Green Coffee extract does contain a small amount of caffeine, it is not the primary ingredient that promotes weight loss. Yes, the miracle compound is again, Chlorogenic Acid (CGA). CGA has been shown to reduce carbohydrate and glucose absorption from the digestive tract. It does so by altering the absorption site in the intestine, thus, lowering blood glucose and regulating the Insulin response of the body [9]. An animal study conducted in 2016 investigated the affect of Green Coffee bean extract on weight fluctuations in obese mice. Green Coffee bean appeared to decrease body weight, liver fat accumulation, and adipose (fat) hormones such as Adiponectin and Leptin.[10]

Green Coffee Beans and Heart Health

Studies have shown that taking Green Coffee bean extract on a permanent basis can serve to reduce hypertensive blood pressure disorder [11] [12]. In addition, it’s thought to have triacyglycerol (triglyceride) reducing properties, which in the long term can reduce a person’s risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease (CHD). [13]

Where do I get it from and how much should I take?

It is not advisable to eat raw green coffee beans, as they have a certain grainy texture. Additionally, to consume the medicinal dosage of CGA you would have to eat a vast amount of raw bean, this would cause adverse health effects due to caffeine content. It is recommended that you take Green Coffee bean extract in the form of a supplement. The advised dosage for Chlorogenic acid is from 120-300mg, approximately 240-600mg of Green Coffee Bean. [14]

Wave goodbye to the nations favourite hot brown beverage, because it’s going green!