Tufts University study finds coffee calorie intake rising in US

A study from the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University reveals that while coffee consumption levels among Americans remained stable between 2003 and 2018, the calories consumed via coffee have increased significantly.

Analyzing data from 30,000 adults through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers found that daily caloric intake from coffee rose from 43 kcal to 60 kcal. The primary driver of this increase is the use of non-dairy creamer, which has overtaken sugar and dairy milk as the leading contributor to coffee-related calories.

While milk remains the most common additive by weight, non-dairy creamers contribute the most energy, providing approximately 18.5 kcal per day in 2018. Researchers noted that non-dairy creamers can be high in saturated fats, which may explain the rise in caloric density in coffee beverages.