Caffeine and Blood Sugar Spikes

[HotMommy]

Coffee, or caffeine actually, can spike your blood sugar and cause cravings, right?
Well that can cause a problem...if you give in to the cravings. You'll eat carbs or overeat, etc. Therefor leading to weight gain or a stall.
But if you control the cravings, and continue to eat regular low carb meals, does it matter?
Is a blood sugar spike itself responsible for weight gain and stalls or is the problem with a blood sugar spike (caused again by caffeine, not carbs) the possible behavior that may follow?

[Victrola]

You posted it!

[HotMommy]

Yeah!

[Magicsmom]

I don't test my blood sugar, but coffee doesn't make me hungry. It kills my appetite. If I drink enough of it, I get nauseated.

[Looweewoo]

I don't think it's the blood sugar that spikes, but rather the insulin. Which drives blood sugar into the cells to combine with fatty acids to make actual fat.

I could be wrong, but that's how I remember it. I'll look it up and get back if someone else doesn't give the definitive answer.

[Looweewoo]

just found this:

caffeine is an insulin evoking chemical in the human body.

insulin is a fat storing hormone in the human body, so the body fat you are trying to burn off is prevented from getting burned off while that insulin is being produced, and the insulin will cause the cells to suck up the glucose in the blood stream, causing a drop in blood glucose levels which will cause hunger signals to be sent as in "I need quick energy eat some candy now!" messages.

[HotMommy]

So if there is no glucose in the blood stream we should be OK? I have mine in the AM before I eat. The main problem for AM caffeine drinkers is the short term prevention of fat burning, right?

[Looweewoo]

There is always glucose in the blood stream. If there were none, the liver would make some out of protein.

But I'm already talking way beyond my personal knowledge. Let's hope someone, who has looked into it more than we have, comes in and sets us straight. Here's another quote from the internet (note that they assume you are going to be eating sugar):

Canadian researchers writing in Diabetes Care showed that caffeine significantly reduced insulin sensitivity. In another study in the same journal, scientists from Duke University Medical Center reported that drinking coffee could upset a diabetic’s ability to metabolize sugar.

Blood sugar levels are supposed to rise after you eat. To keep your blood sugar levels from rising too high, your pancreas releases insulin. The researchers found that taking caffeine causes blood sugar and insulin levels to rise even higher after meals. If your blood sugar rises too high, sugar sticks to cells. Once sugar is stuck on a cell membrane, it cannot be released and is converted to a poison called sorbitol which destroys that cell. High levels of insulin constrict arteries to cause heart attacks and act directly on the brain to make you hungry, on your liver to make more fat, and on the fat cells in your belly to pick up that fat. If these studies are confirmed, diabetics will be advised to restrict coffee as well as those foods that cause the highest rise in blood sugar after meals.

[Victrola]

I'm starting to think that aside from the cravings issue, the theory of blood sugar spiking after caffeine may only be really relevant to people who really need to watch their blood sugar in the first place. Like people with high blood pressure really needing to watch their salt intake, but it isn't AS important to people with healthy levels.

[flatferenghi]

Fortunately, i am able to limit it to 1 a day (rarely 2). I think it is best not to drink coffee by itself, but I don't, as a rule, follow that custom. Although i am nominally a diabetic, I have managed (with some oral meds-glypizide)and the Atkins "diet" to keep my glucose normal. Love & Profits: FLATFERENGHI

[InspiredBlue]

This is interesting. I too am curious to see the answer.

I have wondered the same thing about diet soda - they say that too gives you increased appetite, but what if I can control my appetite? Are there any other effects? (Assuming the sweetener doesn't stall me.)

[Leo41]

I think that coffee, and caffeine in general is unique to individuals in terms of effect.

When I was much younger, I used to drink coffee throughout the day at work, and I found that it made me hungry (I drink it black).

Now as a senior citizen, I find that my morning coffee is satisfying and helps control hunger. In fact, I also drink green tea (caffeinated) throughout the day to help control hunger.

I'm hypothyroid, and my endo actually suggested increasing my caffeine intake to help boost metabolism because, he said, "You're otherwise healthy." In other words, for some people, caffeine can be a problem, but it's not for me apparently.

I think if something is spiking insuling, you'll know it by the hunger you feel. For example, I gave up all diet soda because I found that it was increasing my appetite (and therefore, I assume, spiking insulin).

[HotMommy]

So, coffee and caffeine will forever remain a mystery. I had hoped for a solid answer, a bold "no, blood sugar spikes do no affect weight loss, and is safe do consume as you please!"....but that's never going to happen. So I suppose the real answer here is you are the only one who can decide whether caffeine is OK for you or not.
As for me, I have gone from a 175lb woman to a 134lb woman will enjoying my coffee the whole time.
Thank you for your input everyone!

[Magicsmom]

Originally Posted by HotMommy

So, coffee and caffeine will forever remain a mystery. I had hoped for a solid answer, a bold "no, blood sugar spikes do no affect weight loss, and is safe do consume as you please!"....but that's never going to happen. So I suppose the real answer here is you are the only one who can decide whether caffeine is OK for you or not.
As for me, I have gone from a 175lb woman to a 134lb woman will enjoying my coffee the whole time.
Thank you for your input everyone!

Same here. I went from 282 to 179 drinking a cup of strong coffee every day with HWC. I think it's a YMMV thing.

[HotMommy]

YMMV, that's what I was trying to remember! Thanks
I forgot to mention, I DO have blood sugar spikes with coffee, however they are much less when I do not use granualated splenda, I am using truvia now with much better results.
So AS may play a role in the blood sugar spike, as well, if you are having problems but don't want to go decaf yet try swtiching sweeteners.

[7littleangels]

I am type II Diabetic,so I test my BS after meals. I can drink a cup in the morning with cream and stevia and it will go to about 126. If I leave the coffee out it stays about 80-90's. I always eat the same thing every morning,so I know it is the coffee that sends it up. It will go up higher if I have splenda,which has sugar in it,so I do not use that.
If I have coffee in the afternoon or evening it will go even higher and since I normally eat the same things I know it is the coffee. With all that said I still lose weight drinking coffee or drinking Diet Dr. Pepper. Oh and my BS does not go up if I drink Diet Dr. Pepper.

JM2C

Jeanie

[Looweewoo]

Well, I gave up coffee, but I don't do regular finger sticks anymore. I'll have to wait til my A1c comes around again to see if it made any significant changes.

So far no change in my weight loss, but I wasn't really expecting any. The two times I lost the fastest I had quit coffee, but the first time was my first time on Atkins, and the second time was done along with a week long fast. Hard to get any sort of a hint from those...

[Leo41]

Perhaps the reason I don't get any 'spikes' from coffee is because I drink it black. Those who have problems--it could be what you add rather than the coffee itself. Any artificial sweetener will give me an insulin spike.

[sfmama123]

Well, let me take a stab at this one. Consider that before many people get "officially" diagnosed with diabetes, one of the symptoms that leads many people to go to the doctor is unexplained weight loss. This is because there's not enough insulin in the body to get the blood sugar into the cells. That's why there have been recent news articles about teenage girls with Type I diabetes not taking their insulin, because the insulin helps the sugar get into the cells, and if the sugar can't get in, the body isn't getting nutrients, hence the weight loss. However, having that sugar sitting around in the bloodstream is what causes the terrible complications of diabetes. So, to answer, I don't think the spike in blood sugar is going to cause weight gain-I'm a Type II diabetic, and even if I eat zero carbs in a day, my blood sugars go up after eating because the body can and does make glucose from protein, but I can still lose weight.

I drank two cups of coffee with HWC and one teaspoon of Splenda total, and my blood sugars went up 40 points. For a diabetic, this stinks. Anyway, hope that helps. Have a good one!

p.s. even with the increase in blood sugars, coffee does not cause me any cravings for food. In fact, it blunts my appetite. YMMV.

[7littleangels]

Originally Posted by sfmama123

I drank two cups of coffee with HWC and one teaspoon of Splenda total, and my blood sugars went up 40 points. For a diabetic, this stinks. Anyway, hope that helps. Have a good one!

.

That is what mine does when I have Splenda. I did not know the first ingredient was sugar. It is not so bad with Stevia and I do not feel all whacky like when I have coffee with Splenda.

Jeanie