Coffee may increase cravings for sweet treats

If your commute to work involves a stop at the coffee shop be cautious you might be temped to pick up a sweet treat too.

Research suggests that caffeine may dampen our ability to taste sweet foods, increasing our preference for them

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Researchers have found that caffeine the key stimulant in coffee dulls our ability to taste sweet food and drinks which may actually increase our desire for them.
What is more the team found that simply the action of drinking coffee regardless of whether the beverage is caffeinated may increase alertness.
Coffee is undoubtedly one of the American favorite beverage. Around 54 percent of us drink coffee on a daily basis and as a nation we spend around 40$ billion on the beverage annually.
Given the potential health benefits of coffee consumption, it is no wonder we cant seem to get enough. A study reported earlier this year, for example, linked coffee intake with reduced risk of liver cancer, while more recent research found that the beverage could help us live longer.

The new study from Dando and colleagues, however, suggests that we should be cautious of what we are eating alongside our cup of joe, as the beverage may increase our preference for sugary treats.

Caffeine reduced sweet taste perception:

The researcher came to their findings by enrolling 107 adults and randomly assigning them to one of two groups. One group consumed coffee containing 200 milligrams of caffeine the equivalent of a strong cup of coffee while the other group consumed decaffeinated coffee supplemented with quinine making it taste just as bitter as the caffeinated coffee. Both groups had sugar added to their beverage.

Participants were unaware of which type of coffee they were drinking. The team found that subjects who consumed the caffeinated coffee rated the beverage as being less sweet than those who drank the decaffeinated coffee.

Additionally, after consuming a sucrose solution participants who consumed caffeinated coffee said the solution tasted less sweet compared with those who drank decaffeinated coffee.

Dando and colleagues note that caffeine blocks adenosine receptors in the brain which increases alertness. At the same time blocking these receptors reduces a person ability to taste sweet foods and drinks. In turn this may increase cravings for such products.

When you drink caffeinated coffee it will change how you perceive taste for however long that effects lasts.
"So if you eat food directly after drinking a caffeinated coffee or other caffeinated drinks you will likely perceive food deferential. Said Dando.

Even decaf may boost alertness:

In second experiment subject were one again randomized to receive either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.

Each participant was asked to rate their alertness before and after consuming the beverage as well as estimate the amount of caffeine that was in their drink. The researchers found that participants were not only unable to determine whether they were drinking caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee, but both groups reported the same increase in alertness after consumption.

Dando and colleagues say their findings indicate that simply drinking a cup of coffee may induce a placebo effect._

Dando explains, "Thinking Pavlov's dog. The act of drinking coffee with the aroma and taste is usually followed by alertness So the panelists felt alert even if the caffeine was not there."

What seems to be important is the action of drinking that coffee. Just the action of drinking that you've done the things that make you feel more awake, makes you feel more awake."