Retracted, withdrawn and dumped: The end of Green Coffee Extract

Long-time readers of World Coffee Press and those who keep a well-trained eye upon coffee news will know of the bungled study that proclaimed green coffee beans as the latest weight loss super product.

But despite being plastered over some mainstream American televisions shows, the ball of string that was this piece of research began to unravel at an alarming rate.

Earlier this year the Federal Trade Commission branded the study as being “hopelessly flawed” and handed Applied Food Sciences – who attempted to monetise these ‘findings’ – a $3.5 million fine.

Now, the authors of the original 2012 paper have withdrawn their work and pointed the finger at the supplement manufacturer who funded their work.

“The sponsors of the study cannot assure the validity of the data so we, Joe Vinson and Bryan Burnham, are retracting the paper,” a statement read.

Notwithstanding this passing of the buck, as some might say, there are reports circulating that the lead investigators ‘repeatedly altered the weights and other key measurements’ used to gather the analytic data.

The study is now consigned to the wastepaper basket, but that didn’t stop the use of green coffee extract in a number of schemes and dietary products. A number of those were endorsed on television by the personality doctor, Dr Mehmet Oz.

“You may think magic is make believe,” the cardiothoracic doctor said on his syndicated programme. “[B]ut this little bean has scientists saying they found a magic weight loss cure for every body type. This miracle pill can burn fat fast for anyone who wants to lose weight.”

Those claims about green coffee, as it transpires, we all fictitious.

It even landed Dr Oz a seat in front of congress, answering some rather awkward questions.

“I don’t get why you need to say this stuff when you know it’s not true,” Senator Claire McCaskill levelled at Dr Oz.

In response, a statement on DoctorOz.com reads: “further study is needed regarding any potential benefits of Green Coffee Extract.”

Hopefully, we can now lay this unsavoury chapter of ‘research’ to bed and condemn it to the footnotes of history.