When it comes to coffee, going black is your best choice to keep calories down. Yet the one time when getting some sugary sweetness in your java is okay is first thing in the morning.
After a night of fasting, you should grab some carbs (along with a fast-digesting whey protein shake) right after you wake to stop the catabolic onslaught on your muscles. But what’s the best sweetener for your morning cup o’ joe — agave syrup or sugar?
Answer: SUGAR. Table sugar is about 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Agave syrup can be up to 90% fructose. Fructose doesn’t raise blood sugar and insulin levels like glucose does, and it also can’t be used by the body. It has to go to the liver where it gets converted to glucose. This can be problematic because the liver converts a lot of fructose into bodyfat.
The higher the fructose content of a sugar, the greater the risk of fat production. That’s the last thing you want. Plus, having an insulin spike in the morning is one of the times (postworkout is the other) when it won’t lead to fat gain and can enhance muscle growth.
