What do coffee creamer, milk, and sugar do to your cup?
Coffee creamer is built on non-dairy creamer, which contains hydrogenated vegetable oil. After ingestion it produces trans fatty acids the body does not need, and those are linked to higher risk of breast cancer and diabetes and may interfere with children's growth and nervous system function, so use should stay low.
Adding milk cuts the bioavailability of chlorogenic acid, a strong antioxidant in coffee, because the acid's low pH makes casein coagulate. A trial at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro gave subjects 4 grams of instant coffee with 200 milliliters of milk or hot water to compare absorption. Heavy sugar intake ties to obesity and metabolic disease.
Many people are used to adding coffee creamer to their coffee, commonly known as "creamer," but its main ingredient, non-dairy creamer, contains hydrogenated vegetable oil, which may pose health risks from trans fatty acids. At the same time, adding milk can reduce the bioavailability of chlorogenic acid in coffee, and adding too much sugar is closely linked to obesity and metabolic diseases. So how should coffee be drunk to be healthier? Based on scientific experiments, this article analyzes the effects of coffee creamer, milk, sugar, and sugar substitutes on coffee's active ingredients and the human body one by one, and offers reasonable brewing suggestions to help coffee lovers reduce health burdens while enjoying the flavor.
The so-called "coffee creamer," often called "creamer" on the market, has non-dairy creamer as its core ingredient. After ingestion, it generates a kind of "trans fatty acid" in the body that is not needed by the human body. This type of fatty acid is believed to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and diabetes, and may also interfere with children's growth and nervous system function. Therefore, from a health perspective, it is best to use as little as possible.
Adding a lot of milk
The "killer" of chlorogenic acid
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In "Fizzing Aroma, Drop by Drop Rich," a concept was mentioned—chlorogenic acid (CGA). This is a substance with strong antioxidant capacity. It can not only improve insulin resistance, but also reduce fat accumulation in the liver of mice on a high-fat diet. It is one of the extremely key active ingredients in coffee. However, when CGA is ingested together with milk, its absorption process is affected because CGA's low pH tends to cause casein in milk to coagulate.
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil once conducted a trial, recruiting healthy subjects aged 24 to 35 (not taking any medication or nutritional supplements), randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group consumed 4 grams of instant coffee plus 200 milliliters of milk (containing 9.6 grams of carbohydrates, 6.7 grams of protein, and 7.1 grams of fat), while the control group consumed 4 grams of instant coffee plus 200 milliliters of hot water. Within 48 hours before the experiment, subjects were asked to avoid foods containing polyphenols. This was to prevent polyphenols from other sources from interfering with the analysis of CGA results. After 48 hours, urine collection began, once every 4 hours, for a total of 4 times. Analysis showed that compared with coffee without milk, the bioavailability of CGA in the human body decreased by 23% in coffee with milk[1].
✔The correct way to add milk: add a small amount of milk
Although milk lowers the bioavailability of CGA, research also shows that if the amount of milk added is controlled within 20% of the volume of a cup of coffee, this effect is not obvious[1], so there is no need to worry excessively.
Adding too much sugar
The "great booster" of obesity and metabolic diseases
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People who cannot stand the bitterness of coffee often like to add sugar, or pair it with a dessert to mask the bitterness. Adding a small amount of sugar is actually not only harmless, but may also bring certain benefits; but once it is excessive, it increases the risk of obesity and further induces a series of metabolic diseases. Excess sugar is not just extra calories; it also promotes fat storage and sends hunger signals to the brain, making people more prone to overeating. Excessive sugar intake increases the burden on important organs, may cause liver problems such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and also raises uric acid levels, leading to gout.
Some people are used to adding honey to coffee. The sugars in honey are mainly glucose and fructose, and research has pointed out that continuous metabolism of excessive fructose by the human body may increase the risk of serious chronic diseases such as diabetes[2]. At present, the U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that the intake of added sugar should be less than 10% of total calories. If you consume 2,000 calories per day, then added sugar should be controlled within 200 calories (50 grams)[3]. This standard also has reference value for Chinese people. In daily life, biscuits, candy, soda, and even condiments such as ketchup and vinegar may contain added sugar, so do not add a large amount of sugar just for taste; this harm accumulates.
✔The correct way to add sugar: add a small amount of sugar or sugar substitute
Some studies have shown that adding an appropriate amount of sugar helps improve attention and short-term memory. One trial recruited 40 healthy volunteers, conducted MRI brain scans, and randomly divided them into 4 groups, who respectively drank equal amounts of sweetened coffee, sugar water, plain coffee, and water, and then performed tasks related to sustained attention and working memory. Brain imaging showed that subjects who drank sweetened coffee had reduced activity in task-related brain regions, indicating that the brain operated more efficiently[4]. Glucose is the main energy-supplying substance for the brain. The brain consumes about 1/6 of the body's total energy consumption each day. One gram of glucose provides about 4 calories. You can add 1 to 2 grams of sugar (about half a teaspoon to one teaspoon) to your first cup of coffee in the morning to help quickly get into a working state, but at the same time correspondingly reduce the intake of other sugary foods.
People who are worried about their weight can also choose sugar substitutes (sucralose, aspartame, saccharin) to satisfy their desire for sweetness. Compared with ordinary sugar, sugar substitutes have almost no calories and can be used for weight management. From a physiological perspective, sucrose does not stimulate the release of insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), or glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), nor can it delay gastric emptying[5]. Therefore, these artificial sweeteners will not interfere with glucose metabolism. (Click to read 🔗"Sugar Substitutes, a Harmless Sweetness?")
Coffee creamer
A needle hidden in silk floss
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Coffee creamer sounds like it complements coffee perfectly, and the pairing seems like a match made in heaven, but after revealing the true face of coffee creamer, you will find that it is actually a "petty person" with a needle hidden in silk floss. Coffee creamer is commonly known as "creamer," and its main ingredient is non-dairy creamer.
From the ingredient list, we can see:
The first is "glucose syrup," that is, a mixture produced after starch hydrolysis;
The second is "hydrogenated vegetable oil," that is, a semi-solid fat formed after soybean oil or rapeseed oil undergoes artificial catalytic hydrogenation;
The third is sodium caseinate;
Finally, there are three types of food additives: stabilizers, emulsifiers, and anti-caking agents.
The reason it is said to have a needle hidden in silk floss is precisely because it contains a kind of "pseudo vegetable oil"—hydrogenated vegetable oil—and the impact of its trans fatty acids on health is increasingly receiving attention.
One study invited 34 women with an average age of 26 and 25 men with an average age of 25. The volunteers were in good physical condition, and their blood lipid tests were all normal. They were randomly divided into three groups. While eating a mixed natural diet, they respectively added extra oleic acid, trans-isomer oleic acid, and saturated fatty acids accounting for 10% of total energy. After a period of time, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels were measured. The results found that in the group consuming oleic acid, HDL was 1.42/0.32 mmol/L and LDL was 2.67/0.54 mmol/L; while in the group consuming trans-isomer oleic acid, the average LDL was 0.47 mmol/L higher than that of the group consuming saturated fatty acids, and the average HDL was 0.17 mmol/L lower than that of the group consuming oleic acid. This shows that trans fatty acids not only raise low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, but also lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
In addition, many controlled studies and observational studies have shown that trans fatty acids may increase the risk of coronary heart disease and worsen insulin resistance, especially in susceptible individuals, such as those with insulin resistance, visceral obesity, or low physical activity[6].
✔The correct way to add creamer: less, and then even less
WHO recommends that the energy provided by trans fatty acids ingested through diet should be less than 1% of total dietary energy. When the trans fatty acid content in general foods is below 0.3 g/100 g, it can be labeled as 0. The cakes, pastries, biscuits, bread, salad dressing, French fries, potato chips, popcorn, chocolate, ice cream, etc. that we often eat all contain a certain amount of trans fatty acids. Natural sources are mainly the body fat of ruminant animals. Trans fatty acids can be found in beef and mutton fat at 2% to 9%, and milk and dairy products also contain a small amount. These foods themselves already contain trans fatty acids, while creamer is "manually added" trans fatty acid. It is not a good thing in the first place, so do not add even more of it.
Summary
Coffee has many benefits. As long as it is brewed reasonably, it can make coffee even better. Here, the following simple formula is recommended for coffee lovers to refer to:
Freshly ground plain coffee
+
20% milk (low-fat is best)
1–2 grams of sugar
Zero creamer
=
A perfect cup of coffee!
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
