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Coffees 'as fattening as dinner'

By Elizabeth Heathcote on Monday 27 July 2009

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Marie Claire health news: Coffee

Some iced coffees sold by leading chains contain more than 500 calories, a quarter of a woman's daily requirement, a cancer charity has warned.

A venti dark berry mocha frappuccino from Starbucks was the worst offender uncovered by the World Cancer Research Fund, and contains a whopping 561 calories.

Caffe Nero was not far behind. A double chocolate frappe or a mocha frappe latte both contain 483 calories. Even the skimmed-milk version of these coffees contained 452 calories.

These luxurious iced coffees contain lots of sugar and cream, which pushes the calorie content up, reports the Mail.

Starbucks responded that it also sells much lower-calorie coffees too. Its tall iced coffee contains just three calories, the lowest of all those tested.

Dr Rachel Thompson, of the WCRF, urged women to choose low-calorie coffees. 'The fact that there is an iced coffee on the market with over a quarter of a woman's daily calorie allowance is alarming. This is the amount of calories you might expect to have in an evening meal, not in a drink.

'Having these type of drinks as an occasional treat is unlikely to do you any harm. But if you are having them regularly then they will increase the chances of you becoming overweight, which in turn increases your risk of developing cancer, as well as other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

'As a general rule, if you want to have a coffee, go for an unsweetened version with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk as this is likely to contain fewer calories.

'It is also worth steering clear of ones that contain lots of cream or sugary fruit syrups as these tend to be higher in calories.'

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