Green Coffee Extract

What this is. Unroasted coffee bean extract, which keeps the chlorogenic acid that roasting destroys. Sold into weight management.

800 mg of green coffee bean extract in a single capsule. Chlorogenic acid is the compound the research is about, and its content is not stated on this panel — so the 800 mg tells you the weight of the extract and nothing about its strength.

What you are actually getting, per 1 capsule

• Green Coffee Bean Extract (chlorogenic acid content not stated) — 800 mg

This is where we would normally show the arithmetic. An extract standardised to 50% chlorogenic acids would give 400 mg from this capsule; one at 10% would give 80 mg. The panel states no percentage, so neither of those figures is ours to print. 800 mg of extract is the only number we have, and a bigger extract weight does not compensate for a missing standardisation.

Worth knowing before you buy

Green coffee's reputation rests on a small evidence base that has not held up. The most widely cited human trial was retracted by its own authors in 2014, and US regulators took action over the way its results had been marketed. Systematic reviews since describe the remaining trials as small, short and at high risk of bias, with effects that are modest at best.

The trials that did use green coffee extract generally used extracts standardised to roughly 45% to 50% chlorogenic acids, and reported the dose as chlorogenic acid rather than as extract weight. We cannot make that comparison for you, because our panel does not state the percentage. That is the most important sentence on this page.

It is also why this product is not in our weight and metabolism collection. Not because 800 mg is small — it is a normal extract weight — but because the compound that would justify the collection is unquantified on the label.

How to take it

One capsule a day with water. Thirty capsules in the bottle, so one a day is 30 days.

Other ingredients

The Supplement Facts panel supplied with this product does not list other ingredients, so the capsule shell is not stated. Gelatin shells are animal-derived and are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans; cellulose shells are. Because the panel is silent on which this is, we cannot tell you this product is suitable for vegetarians or vegans, and we are not going to guess. There is no allergen statement on the panel either. If either point decides the purchase for you, ask us before you order and we will read the bottle.

Cautions

Green coffee bean extract contains caffeine and the panel does not state how much. The beans are unroasted, not decaffeinated, so treat this as an unknown amount of caffeine on top of whatever you already drink: it can disturb sleep and can add to the effect of stimulant medicines. Chlorogenic acids may also affect blood sugar and blood pressure, so speak to your doctor or pharmacist first if you take medication for either. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not use if the safety seal is damaged or missing. Store in a cool, dry place. Do not exceed the recommended dose. If you are pregnant, nursing, under 18, taking prescription medication or living with a medical condition, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting this or any supplement.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.