Expert reveals the viral coffee trend causing you to GAIN weight: ‘It’s not a healthy hack’
A social media trend which sees gymgoers add protein powder to their coffee to boost muscle mass could be causing unwanted weight gain, a fitness expert has warned.
Increasing protein levels has been touted as a way to boost muscle growth and repair and protect bone health, warding off mid-life diseases like osteoporosis.
Social media is now awash with influencers advising followers on how to boost their protein intake—with ‘proffee’ being the latest health hack, promising to boost energy levels and promote weight loss.
The trend involves adding a scoop of protein powder to a shot of espresso and pouring the concoction over ice to make a protein-boosted iced coffee.
But, Adam Clark, a top fitness expert, has warned against adding the essential nutrient to your daily coffee—especially if you are not adjusting your exercise regime accordingly.
‘Many people are unaware that the amount of protein powder that they should be consuming will vary depending on their weight and activity level, and taking over the recommended amount can have side effects,’ he warned.
‘If you’re taking in more protein than you actually need, this can actually cause weight gain instead of weight loss.’
UK guidelines currently recommend adults consume about 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight. For the average woman, this equates to approximately 45g a day, or 55g for men.
The trend sees influencers getting over 70 per cent of the daily recommended amount in just one drink
Yet some recipes trending on TikTok see purporters of the trend adding up to 33g of protein to their coffee—over 70 per cent of their daily recommended amount.
According to Mr Clark, this could see people consuming more protein than necessary, derailing their weight loss journey.
He added: ‘Your protein intake should only account for between 10 and 35 per cent of your calorie intake, and it does not guarantee to help you lose weight.’
One of the reasons for this is these recipes often contain lots of refined sugars and ultra-processed ingredients, due to the additives used to make the drink more appealing—such as sweeteners, syrups and high-fat milk alternatives.
Gym bunnies can also be seen adding supplements like creatine to their drinks, many of which will be full of emulsifiers, driving inflammation and increasing the risk of disease.
‘All of these things negate the potential benefits the drink may have originally offered’, Mr Clark warns.
‘Protein is best gained through whole foods, such as meat, dairy, eggs, legumes and vegetables.
‘You should not be using “proffee” as a meal replacement or your primary source of protein—eating a proper meal can ensure that you are also consuming an adequate amount of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.’
According to Mr Clark whilst consuming enough protein is essential for bone and muscle health, adding sweeteners and syrups could derail your fitness journey
Before jumping on the trend, Mr Clark advises people to consider how much protein they are already getting from their diet, and never to use the drink as a meal substitute but rather as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
The warning comes amid a growing body of research that has uncovered how emulsifiers, typically found in synthetic supplements, could be an overlooked contributor to bowel cancer.
Over the last 30 years, young diagnoses of the disease have shot up by an alarming 80 per cent across the globe, figures suggests.
Scientists have suggested a host of factors are likely behind the phenomenon—from increasing pollution to rising obesity and even invisible particles of plastic in drinking water.
But now an ‘unhealthy’ obsession with protein powders has also been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer.
According to Dr James Kinross, a colorectal surgeon at Imperial College London, a lot of protein powders are full of additives, emulsifiers and binding agents—all of which promote cancer-causing inflammation.
When protein is broken down in the gut, toxins are released in the body, increasing the risk of the deadly disease.
These harmful compounds raise the risk of damage to DNA in cells, which in turn increases the chance that they could turn cancerous, experts have warned.
Research has long shown that diets high in ultra-processed foods, including protein powders, can also disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the gut, triggering inflammation that can trigger a host of health complications, including bowel cancer.
