How does caffeine affect diabetes?

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Permalink Reply by Teena on November 8, 2009 at 8:35pm

Its confusing and ironical that several studies have found that coffee drinkers, especially those who drink a lot of coffee, have a lower risk of diabetes than do other people. However for people with diabetes, drinking coffee or consuming caffeine in other beverages may make it harder for us to control our glucose....Im not really a caffein drinker but whe I inquired to my doctor about drinking coffee...She suggested decaf. =)

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Permalink Reply by Christian on November 8, 2009 at 11:18pm

How about drinking coffee, and not some milk/sugar/espresso drink?

I drink alot of coffee, and it has little to no affect on my blood sugar levels; no sugar, no cream, no changes in my blood sugar.

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Permalink Reply by JeffC on November 9, 2009 at 3:48am

Black coffee or diet coke (or my new favourite coke zero) has no effect on me. About once a month somebody lectures me on the evils of coffee/caffeine, but there's little "scientific" evidence against it, and my own experience is that it's ok for me. Besides... I've gotta have some vice

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Permalink Reply by NyJonesy26/Ken on November 9, 2009 at 4:31am

I drink things like AMP (Sugar Free) and I will usually have to wait a couple hours before I eat anything, and those drinks are LOADED with caffeine, so from my own experience, caffeine does make my sugar very sensitive for a bit.

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Permalink Reply by Dori S on November 9, 2009 at 6:11am

This could be from the amount of caffeine, not necessarilly from having caffeine. Please be careful as I have seen patient's come in with cardiac issues related to these drinks.

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Permalink Reply by Dori S on November 9, 2009 at 6:10am

Unless you have issues with high blood pressure or high levels of stress caffeine, in moderation, should be fine and should not affect your BG.

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Rawlings on November 9, 2009 at 7:42am

Drinking lots of caffeine is far less likely to increase your blood sugar than not taking enough insulin to balance the carbs and other calories you eat!

Most of the data I've seen relates to pre-diabetes (type 2) and type 2 diabetes and caffeine.

If you want to limit caffeine, go for it.

But to find a more reasonable explanation for your highs, start checking your blood glucose before you eat and 2 hours after. Did you take enough insulin to stay on target? Of course, lots of other things--such as stress, illness, lack of exercise, overtreating lows, poor absorption of insulin--play into highs. But adequate insulin for the food a person eats is the first thing I wonder about. Best wishes!

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