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You May Want to Rethink Drinking Coffee Before Breakfast

Tamara Palmer
|
June 24, 2021
Photo Credit: Michela Ravasio

Raise your hand if you propel yourself straight from bed to your coffee maker and are not ready to face the day without that first blessed cup. Us, too. But you may want to rethink drinking coffee before breakfast. It turns out this very prevalent habit may actually be sabotaging your day. Here’s what to know:

A new study published this month by British Journal of Nutrition found that a morning cup of coffee consumed right after waking up impairs the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels. In fact, some participants who drank strong black coffee before breakfast saw a blood sugar increase of a whopping 50%!

Coffee Before Breakfast? Science Says “Hard Pass”

Luckily, one way to mitigate that spike is to eat an energizing breakfast before you drink your coffee.

Coffee drinkers should “try to balance the potential stimulating benefits of caffeinated coffee in the morning with the potential for higher blood glucose levels and it may be better to consume coffee following breakfast rather than before,” wrote Harry Smith from the Department for Health at Bath, the study’s lead researcher.

Need some breakfast ideas? We’ve got you covered: This mega-list is all the proof you need that everything (breakfast included) tastes better in a bowl. And here are some big batch breakfast ideas so you can cook once and have breakfast all week.

Those who consume more than one cup of coffee a day might also consider saving the strongest serving for the second cup — or even switching up your drinks a bit. And, it may also be time to take a look at your coffee-making methodology: Beyond when you drink coffee, further studies have shown that the brewing technique as well as how the beans are roasted can make a big difference in the health benefits you may experience.

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