New Twist On Coffee Giving Drinkers Big Benefits?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - In case you haven't heard, butter is back. And one way it's being used is in your morning cup of coffee.

You heard that right. Buttered coffee drinkers say it's supposed to keep you full, increase cognitive function and even help you lose weight.

Should you give it a try? CBS13's Ron Jones got answers from a nutritionist and two people who are taking the daily dose.

An MMA fighter at the peak of fitness and a food blogger who has battled weight issues all her life share the same secret weapon in the morning: butter coffee.

Making it is a multi-step process, calling for high-quality beans, freshly ground, brewed, then blended with grass-fed butter and either coconut oil or MCT oil, which comes from coconut oil.

The result is a creamy, frothy hot drink supporters like David Mitchell and Lori Newlon believe comes with a slew of benefits.

"I just have a lot more energy, like more of a sense of well-being and I have more of a cognitive function, like I can just get more done in a day," said Mitchell.

"You're supposed to get a suppressed appetite, increase in energy," said Newlon.

On her blog, "Healthy, Wholesome Me," Newlon writes about her ups and downs with food following gastric bypass surgery nine years ago.

"Being obese all my life and close to 300 pounds, I have tried every diet, every fad," said Newlon.

But Newlon and Mitchell say buttered coffee is not a fad.

"It's nothing new. It's more like a rediscovery of very old knowledge," said Mitchell.

Tibetans have been adding butter to their tea for centuries.

A Silicon Valley entrepreneur brought the practice to America's coffee culture and came up with a brand of products centered around buttered coffee called Bulletproof.

Mitchell is such a fan, he's now sponsored by bulletproof.

"What worries me about a fad is how quickly on fire it can get on the internet with no science to substantiate these claims," said Dr. Liz Applegate, Director of Sports Nutrition at UC Davis.

Applegate says buttered coffee is concerning.

Considering adding the butter and oil to a cup of coffee will easily cost you 220 calories, including 20 grams of saturated fat, which is the daily recommended limit.

"If you're burning a lot of calories, you can withstand the couple hundred that are in the cup of coffee," said Applegate. "For most of us desk jockeys that are not out working out, it's really not something we can afford to do."

She says people who are set on trying buttered coffee would have to cut something out of their diet, but make sure to still get their nutrients.

"I would like to see people spend 200 calories plus in the morning time on a piece of fruit, maybe some steel cut oatmeal," she said.

"I would have to say that i agree with her to a point," said Newlon.

Newlon, also a registered nurse, makes sure the rest of her diet is composed of nutrient-dense foods. She says you never know if it will help you unless you try it.

"It's kind of remarkable that I have noticed a little bit of leaning out and I don't battle my weight like I used to," she said.

Mitchell says he's not giving up his Bulletproof coffee either.

"It feels good to me. My performance is definitely enhanced," he said.

So what does it taste like?

Our producer and photographer say it just tastes like good, creamy coffee.

There are variations of adding milk, cinnamon or mocha if you need a different flavor.