Researchers form the Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, have found that caffeine may prevent weight loss as it triggers the temptation for sweet treats besides boosting alertness.
Ditch your daily cup of coffee to lose weight
Your efforts to lose weight mostly comprise of a physical work out along with a well planned, calorie counted diet intake. Recent research suggests that if you're trying to lose weight it is advisable to cut down on your coffee consumption. Researchers form the Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, have found that caffeine may prevent weight loss as it triggers the temptation for sweet treats besides boosting alertness. it reduces a person's perception of sweetness, which may make them desire more.
"When you drink caffeinated coffee," says senior author Robin Dando, "it will change how you perceive taste-for however long that effect lasts. So if you eat food directly after drinking a caffeinated coffee or other caffeinated drinks, you will likely perceive food differently."
Dando and colleagues report their findings in the Journal of Food Science.
Researchers split 107 participants into two groups. The first group was given decaffeinated coffee, while the second group was given regular coffee. Participants who drank the regular coffee said sugar tasted less sweet after drinking the coffee. Therefore, researchers concluded that caffeine could be the reason participants reported sugar tasting less sweet. The results revealed that drinking caffeinated coffee had the same effect on participants as drinking decaffeinated coffee. Researchers believe this is because our minds are conditioned to expect a certain outcome after the act of drinking coffee.
As a result, the mind is tricked into thinking it is more awake after drinking coffee, even if the coffee is decaffeinated.The results reveal that people find caffeinated drinks less sweet suggesting that coffee changes how you perceive taste. The researchers believe caffeine's ability to dampen down taste receptors, leading to alertness, reduces people's perception of sweetness, which could cause them to crave such flavours more.
Professor Dando said, "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".
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