HU: Healthy University – The Dark Side of Coffee

How many times have you finished off any unusually fatty meal at a restaurant or take-out joint with a nice, warm cup of coffee? 

Many can probably relate to this scenario, since it seems coffee is a common after dinner sip. Turns out, that cup of coffee could be the second unhealthiest decision of your day; the first was eating a fatty meal to begin with.  New research indicates adding coffee onto an already bad-for-you meal doubles the spike in your blood sugar caused by foods heavy in saturated fat.

The health benefits of coffee have been prevalently known for a while now. Studies show coffee can reduce the risk of breast cancer, diabetes, stroke, and is also stocked with antioxidants. But according to a new study, coffee does have a dark side (even if you take yours lightened with a little milk). 
Researchers at the University of Guelph found that after eating a fast food meal,—or even just a meal with a lot of saturated fat—blood sugar levels of a healthy person spike. But after eating a fat-laden meal, and then adding a cup of coffee, that spike doubles close to those of people who are at risk for diabetes! That is quite a major jump, and a lot for a body to handle.

The research reveals the effect of saturated fat interfering with the body’s ability to flush out sugars from the blood. Usually, this process is natural, creating insulin to flush out sugar from the blood and inject it into our muscles, but saturated fat interrupts this important process. Adding caffeine to the mix, well, that is just adding fuel to the fire.

  As college women, we often rely on caffeine to make it    through our busy schedules. Having coffee in moderation (about three cups a day, and no, that doesn’t mean three Venti’s!) is not a problem.  Of course, be smart about it. If pouring eight packets of sugar and heavy cream into each one of those cups doesn’t seem very healthy, it is because it isn’t. The truth is if you keep your coffee mix-ins healthy, the side effects are usually quite beneficial. But this is the first study to show coffee as an unhealthy ending to a bad meal. There is nothing wrong with splurging once in a while. Let’s face it, during a tough week, sometimes a burger and fries is all it takes to wind down. But to keep your blood sugar from increasing 32 percent, drink some water during and after your treat. 

If you just so happen to slip up, realize that the effect of a high-fat meal and coffee lasts for hours. There is really no way to reverse it, but drinking a lot of water can help bring your body back to normal faster. The secret to staying awake in college is often an afternoon cup of java, and the secret to avoiding two horrible health decisions in a row is to avoid coffee after a less-than-perfect meal.

HU: Healthy University is a new series by HerCampus writer Meghan McCloskey, which centers around Hofstra fitness.