The Popular Morning Drink Linked to More Muscle and Less Body Fat, According to a New Study – Food & Wine

The Popular Morning Drink Linked to More Muscle and Less Body Fat, According to a New Study

The research raises an obvious question: Can what you drink actually affect your body composition?

By Andi Breitowich, Published on September 14, 2026

• A recent observational study found that people who drank more coffee tended to have more muscle mass and less total body fat, despite having similar BMIs.
  
• Researchers have several theories for the association, including caffeine’s effects on exercise performance and energy expenditure, but the study does not prove that drinking coffee builds muscle or reduces body fat.
  
• There’s no established amount of coffee needed to produce these potential benefits, and experts recommend sticking to moderate caffeine intake rather than increasing coffee consumption specifically for muscle gain or fat loss.
  

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If you look forward to your morning coffee, join the club. New research suggests the daily habit may be linked to differences in body composition. A recent study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that people who drank more coffee tended to have greater muscle mass and less total body fat — even when their body mass indexes (BMIs) were similar.

The observational study analyzed data from 2,264 46-year-olds participating in a long-running Finnish research project. Researchers compared participants’ usual coffee intake with measures of body composition, metabolic health, and sex hormones. They found that those who drank more coffee tended to have less total body fat, more muscle mass, and lower levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in their blood, despite having similar BMIs. Elevated BCAA levels have also been linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

The findings come with an important caveat: Because the study was cross-sectional, it found an association between coffee consumption and body composition but cannot show that coffee caused those differences, says Jenny Finke, RDN, a metabolic health dietitian and owner of The Metabolic Dietitian. The study also relied on self-reported coffee intake, which may be inaccurate, and did not account for factors such as serving size, roast, bean type, or what participants added to their coffee, she adds.

Finke emphasizes that the findings, while intriguing, don’t mean that drinking more coffee will build muscle or reduce body fat. “This study opens the conversation about how coffee could play a role in body composition and sex hormones,” she says. It also “argues for the need for more research.”

Why might coffee drinkers have more muscle and less body fat?

The study found an association between drinking more coffee and greater muscle mass, but it did not show that coffee itself builds muscle. Researchers, however, have a few theories that could help explain the connection.

One possibility involves caffeine’s effects on exercise. Finke says caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, increasing alertness and making physical activity feel less strenuous. That could help some people exercise harder or sustain performance longer, potentially contributing to greater muscle mass over time. Previous research points to a similar association: A 2024 study of more than 8,000 adults found that higher coffee and caffeine intake was associated with greater skeletal muscle mass.

Read more: The Popular Morning Drink Linked to More Muscle and Less Body Fat, According to a New Study – Food & Wine

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