Green Coffee Bean Diet Not True? Paper Backing The Study Has Been Retracted

Two out of three authors of the scientific paper that started the green coffee diet trend recently retracted it.

The paper was previously published in "Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy," which discussed the findings of a study focusing on the substantial weight loss effects of green coffee bean extract. The article explained how a randomized crossover study was conducted involving a placebo and showed the efficacy of green coffee bean. The study garnered over 750,000 downloads since it was published in January 2012. Even Dr. Oz featured the product on his popular TV show, describing it as a "miracle pill" and "magic" among others.

In a report by The Washington Post, the study claimed that individuals who used the supplement lost about 18 pounds per person or about 16 percent of their body fat, with or without diet and exercise.

The two authors who retracted the paper stated, "The sponsors of the study cannot assure the validity of the data so we, Joe Vinson and Bryan Burnham, are retracting the paper." Vinson is a chemist while Burnham is a psychologist at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. The study was conducted in India but written by researchers from the University of Scranton.

Dr. Oz issued the statement on his official website, "In prior seasons, we covered Green Coffee Extract and its potential as a useful tool for weight loss. Recently the authors of the peer reviewed research paper on which our coverage had been partially based formally retracted their study. While this sometimes happens in scientific research, it indicates that further study is needed regarding any potential benefits of Green Coffee Extract."

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stated in a press release, "The study was so hopelessly flawed that no reliable conclusions could be drawn from it." FTC stated that Applied Food Sciences, Inc., the company that sponsored the green coffee study, already had knowledge or should have known that the "botched study" did not prove anything. When AFC made the results public, the green coffee craze started. FTC and AFS reached a settlement worth $3.5 million in September 2014, based on a report by Forbes.com.