Consuming four cups of
coffee a day is bad news for diabetics according to a new study by Duke University.
In it a small group of 10 people with type 2 diabetes, researchers had a sensor placed in their abdomens which kept track of blood sugar levels for up to three days.
The patients took either placebos or 500 milligrams of caffeine a day in pill form the equivalent of four eight-ounce cups of coffee.
Among the caffeine users, researchers saw glucose levels rise by eight percent. Compare that to consuming a meal such as dinner when blood sugars grow by about 26 percent.
The leading theories are that caffeine may interfere with transferring glucose from the blood into the cells of the body where is needed for energy. Another possibility is that caffeine may stimulate the liver. It in turn releases glucose into the blood stream when it is not called for.
Whether this study can be compared to drinking coffee is up for debate. Coffee delivers additional antioxidants which have been found to be beneficial. And previous research has found that caffeinated coffee has fewer effects that ingesting caffeine in isolation.
Type 2 diabetics are urged to quit coffee for awhile and see what affect that has on your blood sugar levels or to switch to a decaffeinated coffee.
Coffee, many sodas and tea also deliver caffeine.
People with type-2 diabetes already have trouble keeping their blood glucose or blood sugar levels steady. Generally it is too high and that has the potential to damage organs and not deliver energy to cells for energy adequately.
About 90-95 percent of North American diabetes is type 2 which can be controlled in many cases by lifestyle change such as adding exercise and modifying the diet. The CDC has characterized the dramatic rise in type-2 diabetes as an epidemic.
The research is published in the February issue of Diabetes Care.
Last week a California study reported that two or more cups of coffee a day may double the risk of miscarriage. #