coffee and insulin spike

[avid]

I have read in several articles that coffee, even though it has no carbs, will cause a spike in insulin production.
I am a coffee lover, so this concerns me.
I was wondering though if there are any sources that indicate just how much of spike in insulin is created by coffee compared to say... an apple, or some other readily available food ...
anyone else wonder about this?

[coffeelover]

I have never heard that and would be curious about the answer. I have heard that some people finds that caffeine stimulates their appetite - perhaps this is why?

It will be the very last thing I would give up!

[Leo41]

I suspect this depends entirely on how the individual reacts to coffee.

When I first did Atkins in 1972, I had to switch to decaf because I found that coffee (which I drink black) stimulated my hunger--probably due to that insulin spike you're talking about.

However, with my current weight loss (and maintaining for close to 2 years), I drink gallons of coffee daily--and it suppresses my appetite. I don't get 'jittery' or any of the other symptoms of excess caffeine these days.

[svenskamae]

You could test with a blood glucose meter. That's the only way to know for sure for yourself. My guess is that drinking coffee with some fat (HWC or half in half or butter or coconut oil) slows down an blood glucose/insulin jump with coffee or tea, since that is generally true for eating carbs.

I know that Atkins' books warn about possible insulin spikes with coffee, but my guess is that most people doing Atkins are drinking some caffeinated beverage. I wouldn't worry about it unless you have to be super careful (say, as a diabetic), or unless you are stalled and need to rule out all possible barriers to weight loss.

[avid]

Originally Posted by Leo41

I suspect this depends entirely on how the individual reacts to coffee.

When I first did Atkins in 1972, I had to switch to decaf because I found that coffee (which I drink black) stimulated my hunger--probably due to that insulin spike you're talking about.

However, with my current weight loss (and maintaining for close to 2 years), I drink gallons of coffee daily--and it suppresses my appetite. I don't get 'jittery' or any of the other symptoms of excess caffeine these days.

thanks for the post....Your weight loss / maitnenance is quite impressive.
I'm really glad to hear that your coffee drinking hasn't caused you problems.

[avid]

Originally Posted by svenskamae

You could test with a blood glucose meter. That's the only way to know for sure for yourself. .

I don't have a glucose meter. I guess I was hoping that there was an article about it somewhere that someone else knew about, or perhaps one of our LCF's has done this on him/herself.

[DiamondDeb]

I eliminated coffee completely for a year & it made no difference in anything. I added it back for the health benefits and see no reason to question that decision.

Unless you are having some kind of noticeable problems & are looking for the cause I would not worry about coffee.

From what I've read, even for diabetics, caffeine may or may not cause an increase. Even then it is suggested that it may spend on what else is consumed with the coffee.

[Big Stevie]

I have a problem with caffeine. It really revs my body up, then leaves me low blood sugared. I have been this way my whole life. I think I am not the norm, but there are others like me out there for sure. If I drink it with different foods or after a big meal, the effects are as sever. I love it but I just have to be really careful. I recently introduced coffee back into my diet after 4 months off it. It has caused blood sugar drops and the resulting ravenously hungry feelings. So after a week I have once again eliminated coffee.

[creseis]

"That said, both caffeine and coffee have been shown to exert negative effects on insulin sensitivity. Not on insulin itself, though. As standalone substances (without a meal to accompany them), neither caffeine nor coffee have an independent effect on insulin secretion."

Does Coffee Decrease Insulin Sensitivity? | Mark's Daily Apple

[Big Stevie]

Originally Posted by creseis

"That said, both caffeine and coffee have been shown to exert negative effects on insulin sensitivity. Not on insulin itself, though. As standalone substances (without a meal to accompany them), neither caffeine nor coffee have an independent effect on insulin secretion."

Does Coffee Decrease Insulin Sensitivity? | Mark's Daily Apple

My glucose meter, and my brain tell me something different when I drink coffee without a large meal than this research is indicting. Again, admittedly, I am probably special. I dearly wish is wasn't so because I love coffee.

[Punkin]

Wow, I have never had an insulin spike after drinking a cup of coffee. Although I always put heavy cream in mine, maybe that's why.

[svenskamae]

I think it's a YMMV thing, just as some people can handle AS with no problem and others cannot.

[Ntombi]

I think it's a YMMV thing too.

I haven't tested with coffee, but I have tested my blood sugar levels at various intervals after drinking Diet Mountain Dew on an empty stomach. I saw no impact at all. My BG readings were all with ten points (69-76 IIRC) over a two hour time period from right before drinking the can to two hours after. I tested at roughly half hour intervals.

I'm not diabetic, just curious. The meters are free, and the test strips cheap. I get a wild hair to experiment every so often. Just got a blood ketone meter for the same reason, but I don't think I'll be experimenting quite so much: those strips ain't cheap!

[Kateee]

Off topic here.

I recently check out "The 30-Day Diabetes Cure" by Dr. Stefan Ripich from the library.

I luv the book....its basic, and easy to understand.

He talks about adding cinnamon for lower blood sugar....1/2 t is all it takes.

He saids to add a spoonful to the ground coffee in your coffeepot.

Researchers at the USDA have found that cinnamon speeds the conversion of glucose into energy, quickly moving excess blood sugar out of your bloodstream and into cells where it is needed.

[Taxbane]

Just a thought, and I could be wrong, but:

A blood glucose test probably would "not" show any effect coffee was having in spiking insulin, since the blood glucose test is only detecting glucose in the blood and not detecting the actual "insulin" flowing through the blood. I would think a there would be a sepearate insulin detection test that could be done.

That said, I have been drinking 1-2 pots of coffee a day (half strength 4 TBS per 12 water) for the last 2 years, and it has not affected my loss of over 50 lbs to my knowledge.

Additionally, there are positive things to consider about coffee such as its anti-oxidents, metabolism reving caffein, and I beleive it is a good source of potassium too.

Gooooo Coffee!

[Girlieschmoo]

I did read some research about this on a diabetic info website but can't get my hands on it right now. However, there is also research/evidence that coffee HELPS with insulin sensitivity . Based on the comments I read after the article on the diabetic website, it truly is a YMMV kinda thing. For every person who said they had trouble with coffee, there was one who didn't or thought it was helpful.

IIRC, there was consensus that using some sort of fat in your coffee was beneficial (ie those who drank it black seemed to have more issues than those who used cream).

If you are not detecting any noticeable effects from drinking your coffee, I would say you are reaping the benefits and can continue to feel good about it .

[E.W.]

This is not a cut and dried subject. From what I have read caffene does cause an insulin spike and makes insulin resistance worse. BUT some of this dammage may be made up for by some of the flavoids in coffee infact heavy coffee consumption is associated with
less likely hood of developing type 2 diabetes. Here is another study that is sort of interesting.

Caffeine & Insulin Resistance | LIVESTRONG.COM

[ravenrose]

I think what's going on is that caffeine can cause the liver to release glycogen, raising your blood sugar. And someone with normal insulin metabolism will then secrete more insulin to cover that.

it's not that much though. how much coffee are we talking about here? drinking it strong all day long is probably an issue. a couple cups a day? probably not.

I agree that research seems conflicted on this, and that probably means the coffee has multiple effects on the body and whether the plusses or minuses seem stronger is an individual thing, depending on your body.

I certainly don't find, myself, that coffee seems to increase insulin, but then I don't secrete that much of it compared to what I inject, so probably I wouldn't notice.

[creseis]

Originally Posted by Big Stevie

My glucose meter, and my brain tell me something different when I drink coffee without a large meal than this research is indicting. Again, admittedly, I am probably special. I dearly wish is wasn't so because I love coffee.

what kind of coffee are you drinking?

[creseis]

I think if cinnamon had that profound an effect people would be eating it by the lb.

I honestly can't think of a mechanism or what extract in cinnamon does this to any significant response. The USDA also promotes eating a diet high in grains. I think a cinnamon lobbyist is probably behind this!

Originally Posted by Kateee

Off topic here.

I recently check out "The 30-Day Diabetes Cure" by Dr. Stefan Ripich from the library.

I luv the book....its basic, and easy to understand.

He talks about adding cinnamon for lower blood sugar....1/2 t is all it takes.

He saids to add a spoonful to the ground coffee in your coffeepot.

Researchers at the USDA have found that cinnamon speeds the conversion of glucose into energy, quickly moving excess blood sugar out of your bloodstream and into cells where it is needed.

[Big Stevie]

Originally Posted by creseis

what kind of coffee are you drinking?

I drink coffee black. I prefer dark roast. I drink espresso. I also drink it as drip. I usually drink 6 ounce cups and make it strong. No particular brand, usually from a local roaster. I really love this stuff, trust me, I wish it didn't cause me issues. I have no idea about the science behind it, it just is for me and has been since I started drinking it. I had really bad hypoglycemia my whole life. This woe has all but cured it. Now I only go low after drinking coffee without a big meal.