The study linked habitual coffee consumption to a healthier body composition and more favourable metabolic markers. Associations with sex hormones also emerged, with differences between men and women.
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and several studies have linked its consumption to a lower risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Coffee has also been shown to support liver health and to positively influence mood through the gut microbiota. A recent observational study, published in the journal European Journal of Nutrition, has now linked habitual coffee consumption to a healthier body composition and improved metabolic markers, while also revealing distinct associations with sex hormones in men and women.
The study was conducted at the University of Oulu in Finland, one of the world's highest coffee-consuming countries, where annual consumption averages around 11.8 kilograms per capita (in Italy, we consume approximately 5 kilograms per person). The researchers analysed data from 2,264 participants aged 46, examining how habitual coffee consumption was associated with circulating metabolites, cardiometabolic risk markers and sex hormones.
At the same body mass index (BMI), individuals with higher coffee consumption showed lower total and visceral fat mass and greater skeletal muscle mass compared to those who consumed less. In both men and women, higher coffee consumption was found to correlate with lower circulating levels of branched-chain amino acids — biomarkers that, when chronically elevated, have previously been associated with insulin resistance and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
In men, higher coffee consumption was linked to a more favourable glucose-insulin profile, higher concentrations of total and bioavailable testosterone, and greater levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). At the same time, free testosterone and the free androgen index were slightly lower. In women, the hormonal associations appeared more limited, characterised mainly by higher SHBG levels and lower free androgen values.
"Coffee is consumed every day by millions of people, yet we still know surprisingly little about how it interacts with our metabolism and hormones," said Luca Verroest, lead author of the study and doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu. "What emerged most strikingly from our findings is a distinct hormonal signature, one that did not disappear even after accounting for BMI and lifestyle factors; several of these associations differed between men and women."
The findings suggest that hormonal mechanisms may partly explain the relationship between coffee consumption and metabolic health. According to the researchers, this provides a foundation for future studies aimed at establishing whether it is coffee itself that drives these biological changes and at identifying the compounds responsible. Further research will be needed before the findings can inform dietary recommendations.
