Caffeine may Worsen Diabetes
August 9, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- That cup of coffee you have with breakfast may be making your diabetes worse, report researchers who conducted a study to determine how caffeine impacts blood sugar control and insulin levels.
The authors note as long ago as 1967, research was showing a link between caffeine and diabetes. The early study suggested drinking two cups of instant coffee a day significantly impaired glucose tolerance in men with type 2 diabetes. More recent studies have associated caffeine with decreased insulin sensitivity in young adults without diabetes.
In this study, investigators from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., gave standard tests for diabetes to 14 regular coffee drinkers with type 2 diabetes. First, the participants had a fasting blood sugar test, followed by the ingestion of a capsule containing caffeine or placebo. The fasting blood sugar test was then repeated to determine how caffeine affected blood sugar. Second, the participants were given an additional capsule with either caffeine or placebo along with a meal so researchers could see how caffeine taken with carbohydrates would impact their diabetes.
Results showed caffeine alone had no effect on blood sugar or insulin when compared with the placebo capsule. However, when taken with food, caffeine significantly raised blood sugar and had detrimental effects on insulin.
The authors write, “Our results raise concerns about the potential hazards of caffeine for patients with type 2 diabetes and possibly for individuals who are glucose intolerant or ‘pre-diabetic.’”
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, 2004;27:2047-2048
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