“There are 48 calories in one tablespoon of sugar, and over the
course of a day, some coffee drinkers may use their entire
recommended daily allotment of added sugar (100 calories for
women/150 for men) just in their coffee,” they write in the Journal
of Health Psychology, online August 10.
But for those who like their coffee sweetened, having it without
sugar is easier said than done.
In a new study, Richie Lenne and Traci Mann of the University of
Minnesota in Minneapolis tested two interventions to help coffee
drinkers reduce their sugar consumption.
They randomly assigned 127 participants to follow one of three
approaches for two weeks. In one group, people gradually decreased
the amount of sugar they were adding to their coffee, by a little
bit per day. Another group had a lesson in how to drink coffee
mindfully, by taking time to focus on the coffee and appreciate it
with the senses; the lesson included a coffee tasting introduction,
so participants could learn to detect the flavor, acidity,
sweetness, mouth-feel and aftertaste of coffee. The third group went
cold-turkey, giving up sweeteners in coffee for two weeks without
any strategy.

The researchers had expected that the gradual-decrease approach
would be most effective, but they were wrong.
“Participants in all conditions had significant increases in
consumption of sugar-free coffee that lasted six months, (but) the
mindfulness group had a larger increase than the others,” the
authors found.
In fact, a month after the experiment, the mindfulness group drank
coffee without sugar more often than those who simply tried to stop,
which continued through the six-month follow-up. On the other hand,
the gradual reduction method was the least effective.
“Initiating change is relatively easy, but maintaining that change
is nearly impossible,” Lenne told Reuters Health by email. “We fully
expected most of our participants would revert back to sugar-laden
coffee, yet the mindfulness group persisted in drinking coffee
sugar-free.”
[to top of second column] |

Both the mindfulness group and sudden-stop group developed an
enjoyment for sugar-free coffee, but neither group enjoyed it more
than the other. The gradual reduction group, however, enjoyed
sugar-free coffee less than the group that gave up sweeteners
cold-turkey.
In the end, the mindfulness group had the strongest intentions about
reducing sugar in coffee long-term.
“I’m surprised the gradual reduction led to a decrease in liking for
sugar-free coffee and was less effective than mindfulness,” said
Ruopeng An of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. An,
who wasn’t involved with this study, researches beverage consumption
in relation to weight gain.
“The mindfulness intervention is interesting, and I would encourage
more research in this area,” he told Reuters Health by email.
An also recommends the “Rethink Your Drink” campaign by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends using fat-free
or low-fat milk, ordering the smallest size available, skipping
whipped cream, and not adding extra flavoring such as sugary vanilla
or hazelnut. (http://bit.ly/2wvi91i)
“Get back to the basics,” An said. “Order a plain cup of coffee with
fat-free milk and artificial sweetener, or drink it black.”
“Helping people reduce their sugar intake is an important goal for
promoting health,” Lenne said. “Reducing sugar in coffee is a
healthy change that is feasible and can be sustained without
sacrificing the pleasure of one’s daily cup.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2wvgxop
J Health Psychol 2017.
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |