Brain Octane?

     The latest trend in coffee may boost your energy and help you lose weight.  Or maybe you'll just throw up.  Dave Asprey is attempting to change the way you begin your day with something he has termed Bulletproof Coffee.

     "The caffeine in normal coffee," he says, "gives you an initial buzz, but in a while you'll eventually crash."  That leads to food cravings by mid-morning.  But by adding butter to your morning cup of joe you can increase your energy and cognitive function all the way to the lunch hour.  Yes, butter, 2 tablespoons of it melting in your coffee.  But not just any butter, mind you.  It has to be butter produced from grass fed cows which he claims provides the best milk (and beef).  Grass fed butter has just the right kinds of fats that regulate cholesterol and also contains Vitamin K that can reduce heart disease.  

     And it needs to be the right kind of coffee beans, too.  The low toxin "upgraded" coffee beans, not the kind you pick up at the local Acme are the kind he recommends.  And one more ingredient needs to be included to make your morning joe the super drink of champions...MCT oil.  That is a combination of coconut and palm oil.  

     Asprey claims that the combination of high end coffee beans, grass fed butter and MCT oil can provide the body with all the essential fats and calories needed to jump start your day to give you a boost of energy, focus and satiety.

     But registered dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot cautions, "There's no scientific evidence to support the idea that adding butter to coffee provides an extra energy boost or that it may help you lose weight.  However, these claims may have some merit based on what we know about fat and digestion..."We also know that fat slows down digestion," she said.  "Therefore, in theory, butter could slow the absorption of caffeine into the blood stream.  This would result in a prolonged energy boost rather than the peak and crash you might experience if you drank your coffee without the fat."

     But butter is very high in saturated fat, and some health experts caution that it can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.  And while this elixir will make you feel full, it's worth noting that adding the recommended 2 tablespoons of butter to your coffee in the  morning will  tack on about 200 calories each day.



     I think I'll just take my black, thanks...