New line of coffee claims to shed fat in 12 weeks

Canned coffee being what it is in Japan, lousy, I think I will stick to the tea.

Ridiculous. Wanna lose weight? Stop eating so much.

Yawwn....Another fad that will soon eventually fade away.

In a 12-week trial the maker reported an average of 1.5 kg lost in a group of 109 obese men and women. By drinking one 185 mL can a day, 25% of the subjects reported weight loss after four weeks, 51% after eight weeks and 72% after 12 weeks.

In 90 days (12 weeks) times at least 120 yen per can or 10,800 yen, they lose an average of 1.5 kg?

In 90 days I can lose triple that without drinking one can of the stuff.

Another marketing gimmick. The only way to lose weight effectively and keep it off is with increased exercise and eating healthier and smarter.

I saw this product in a couple of places. The current price is 148 yen per can.

Sorry, but I'm skeptical. For one thing, if the test subjects are aware that they are dieting, then they already have the desire to lose weight anyway, and the coffee is merely a reminder that reinforces their motivation. Chances are, they also modified other behavior, such by cutting down on snacks and desserts, walking up steps instead of taking the escalator, etc. Those who just drink the coffee but don't modify their behavior in other ways are probably not going to lose any weight.

Their tea also has a "unique aftertaste" akin to drinking yesterday's rainwater from a rusty can. I shudder to think what this must taste like. Of course, that won't stop the metabolically challenged from gulping it down this summer.

1.5kg in 12 weeks isn't much but I'm pretty mind-blown by the fact that it's finally here: food or drink that makes you lose weight. The first of many steps to no exercise ever again for humanity!

Could I develop that green tint / glow too ? That would be perfect!

Haha the fools that buy this crap deserve to be fleeced!

Just drink your coffee black, that's zero calorie right there. It'll help you keep the hunger away as well.

Yubaru - indeed.

They probably just lost calories from not adding 5 sugars to their regular coffee which they were not drinking, because they were drinking this instead.

Most of us could probably lose a kilo and a half in a week, if we wanted to.

Also the caffeine content is not noted above - if it has more caffeine than regular coffee, that could explain the weight loss too.

Japan is a snake oil salesman's heaven.

Where is the "sophisticated" consumer that is always touted as a feature of this market?

@Moonraker Well looking at any consumer market on Earth, I think you'll find that this mythical "sophisticated" consumer most certainly doesn't exist.

1.5kg in a month? LOL. I can, and regularly do, do that in 2 days. 1.5kg for an obese person will be a tiny percentage of their overall body mass, so will most likely be gained and lost every single day as they eat / sweat / defecate.

If it was knocking 10.5kg off, then it would be worth looking into, and not all for positive reasons. There is no miracle weight loss product; you only lose weight by upping your exercise, continually, and over a long period of time, combined with cutting down on sugars. It really isn't difficiult, or complicated. Just needs discipline, which is something most fat people lack (or they would have sorted themselves out already)

For laughs, I went out and bought this today. I tried the milk version and the taste was OK, but once is enough. I looked at the ingredients and the amount of caffeine is 90 mg for this 185 ml drink. By comparison, I have an energy cola drink in my cupboard which is 250 ml but just 30 mg of caffeine. I guess if you are looking for a caffeinated energy drink, this might give you more bang for your yen.

Most of us could probably lose a kilo and a half in a week, if we wanted to.

I do about 1 kg in half a minute, time to flush and wash my hands included. I have trained at it every morning for decades.

The canned coffee culture seems a unique Japan only thing which still baffles me after all the years I've lived here. I never drink the stuff (after having tried it a couple of times and checked the labels) and would not trust the above maker's claims unless widely supported by independent clinical research. Coffee is a drink you brew from freshly ground beans and drink within 15 minutes after brewing it! To be fair, it is said that black coffee has fat burning properties. But I will stick to my home brewed coffee made from dark roast beans. No cans, which cost more to produce and recycle than their contents, to dispose of. No contributing to energy guzzling and often noisy ubiquitous vending machines.

I hope they bring back the Banana Diet as well

I never drink the stuff (after having tried it a couple of times and checked the labels) and would not trust the above maker's claims unless widely supported by independent clinical research.

Herushia is part of those products that have the "tokuho" seal, and as far as I know they have to go through some tests to be able to be certified as such. Just the latest fad of "healthy" products. As someone said above, just drink black coffee. All the extra processing that goes into healthier products doesn't sound very healthy to me.

What ever happened to diet and exercise?

Kao claims that they observed a fat processing effect from this polyphenol

I look forward to reading the peer-reviewed research paper. Also, what about the control group for their 12 week trial? Did they have one? If so, what were the weight gain/loss figures for the control group? Without this information the claims in this article are meaningless.

you can loose more if you stick to water. I used to be fatty(ier), but I lost 15kg in 3 months by very rigorous diet and exercising( running about 7-8 km A DAY), and kept it since. never been better.

Ah, yes. Another "magic bullet" product has been released onto the market there in Japan.

Eat healthier plus exercise more = weight loss.

RR

I'll never understand the fascination people have with their scales. I'm happy tracking my body fat percentage, cardio capability and strength. I'm big and heavy, I know, but I feel really great at my weight and I don't want to be down to a 'normal' weight listed on a doctor's fact sheet. In fact I train to be big, heavy and fast so why worry about 1.5 kg over a three-month period? The only real metric that I think people should really worry about is their body fat percentage to start with. And stop drinking your calories, you'll see a decrease in weight almost immediately.

1.5kg in a month? LOL. I can, and regularly do, do that in 2 days.

You're just losing water...fat doesn't burn off that fast.

Secret ingredient: extra caffeine! =P

But I will stick to my home brewed coffee made from dark roast beans. No cans, which cost more to produce and recycle than their contents, to dispose of. No contributing to energy guzzling and often noisy ubiquitous vending machines.

The 'can lobby' did not like my remark? Thumbs down, just a click - where is the argument?

"about 50% of men suffer from metabolic syndrome"

Bullocks!