Uh-oh! Your coffee addiction could set off those pesky sugar cravings

You might think you're making the healthy choice by choosing a piping hot coffee over a chocolate digestive for you mid-morning pick-me-up, but let's face it, more often than not you'll end up reaching for both anyway.

Well, you're not alone, in fact, a new study claims there's actually a scientific reason why our bodies crave sugar after a few sips of a tall Americano.

It seems that caffeine could alter our perceived sense of sweetness, meaning that our sugar craving are heightened after a cup of coffee.

The study, published in the Journal of Food Science, divided participants into two groups. One set were drank caffeinated coffee while the other set drank decaf, but neither group knew which was which.

Both groups were then asked to add sugar to their drinks and rate the sweetness.

The results showed that the group who drank caffeinated coffee rated their drink as less sweet than those who drank decaf.

What's more, both groups of participants reported a boost in mental alertness, though this is probably down to the placebo effect.

Researchers believe that caffeine works to mask our tastebuds somewhat, leading us to crave more sugar in order to be completely satisfied.

So, if you're thinking about cutting your sugar intake, you may want to consider dropping that coffee habit too.