Coffee And Blood Sugar Levels
The generally held view is that caffeine can be detrimental to blood sugar levels and can be particularly harmful to those with Type 2 diabetes. The science is that caffeine can cause the body to have a harder time using hormones to lower blood glucose levels which in those suffering from diabetes can be a serious issue.
Options
So if you do suffer from diabetes what are your options? Well decaffeinated coffee has not been shown to affect the blood sugar or glucose levels so is one option. Coffee and blood sugar levels are also directly related due to the fact that caffeine stimulates the way the body releases stress hormones and stress hormones play a direct role in the way the body handles insulin and blood glucose levels. So the correlation goes on!
An interesting piece of research highlighted the link as described above. Researchers in a study injected caffeine into some people in the study and placebos in others. They then measured the blood glucose levels in both groups and found that those injected with caffeine had decreased levels in their blood glucose. In fact their blood sugar was higher than would have been considered healthy. This has led doctors to advise that those with Type 2 diabetes should be very careful how much caffeine they consume, hence the advice to drink decaffeinated coffee.
What Is Caffeine In?
One thing to remember if you are concerned about your caffeine intake is to consider that caffeine is not just present in coffee. You will find it in tea, chocolate and even in some medication, so do check the packaging on products to measure your caffeine intake accurately.