Effects of Coffee & Blood Glucose

Coffee has a close relation with blood glucose levels in the human body, causing an increase. Drinking coffee and having low-sugar cereal is equivalent to eating a sweet dish. However, it's the caffeine that causes this rise.

Effects on normal conditions

• Coffee may reduce the risk of developing diabetes in normal individuals, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). However, caffeinated coffee blocks insulin; thus, blood sugar rises. In normal non-diabetic individuals, blood glucose increases when drinking coffee, but it returns to the baseline limit within hours.

Diabetes and coffee

• Drinking caffeinated coffee preceding or during breakfast increases blood glucose levels, according to the study at the University of Guelph, Ontario Canada, entitled: "Coffee before breakfast cereal boosts blood sugar." Caffeine produces resistance against insulin (which controls blood glucose) and leads to high blood glucose surge. Hence, it is wise for diabetics to drink decaf.

Other aspects

• The obese, or those with a sedentary lifestyle, should limit caffeine consumption, since it may increase their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, coffee also contains important, perhaps beneficial, antioxidants. Hence, restricting caffeine intake or drinking decaf will help prevent both glucose spikes and diabetes.