Can Coffee Make Things Taste Less Sweet?

Coffee. The liquid gold that helps most of us stay awake in the morning. The drink that most of us can’t live without. The pick-me-up that makes sweet food lose its sugary taste – wait, what?!

That’s right, according to new research, it seems that your morning cup o’ Joe could be the reason your accompanying donut doesn’t taste like it usually does.

Researchers from Cornell University found that although coffee suppresses your sleepiness receptors and keeps you alert, it can also decrease your ability to taste sweetness.

“When you drink caffeinated coffee, it will change how you perceive taste – for however long that effect lasts,” said senior author Robin Dando, assistant professor of food science.

“So, if you eat food directly after drinking a caffeinated coffee or other caffeinated drinks, you will likely perceive food differently.”

– RELATED: How Important Is Reducing Your Sugar Intake? –

The blind study, which was published in the Journal of Food Science, had two groups sample coffee and rate its sweetness. The first group drank decaffeinated coffee with 200 milligrams of caffeine added in a laboratory setting, the second group drank decaffeinated coffee – both groups had sugar added.

The caffeinated coffee drinkers rated it as less sweet than the decaffeinated group did ­– not great news if you like to have your coffee with breakfast.

If you’re not willing to give up your caffeine, however, you might want to consider getting a colleague or family member to secretly switch out your regular coffee for decaffeinated.

Why? Well, during the study, participants were asked to assess their level of alertness and to guess how much caffeine was in their coffee. The results showed that panelists from both groups reported the same increase in alertness and neither correctly predicted whether they consumed the caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.

“We think there might be a placebo or a conditioning effect to the simple action of drinking coffee,” said Dando.

“What seems to be important is the action of drinking that coffee. Just the action of thinking you’ve the things that make you feel more awake, makes you feel more awake.”

Decaff latte and a donut it is, then.

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