Drinking coffee before breakfast increases risk of type 2 Diabetes: study

Drinking coffee first thing in the morning could be a catalyst in developing type 2 diabetes. A new study conducted on 29 volunteers at the University of Bath in Somerset, revealed how drinking coffee prior to consuming breakfast upon waking raised blood sugar by 50 percent in the volunteers.

The study group had to undergo three different experiments which involved participants subjected to the following conditions:

• Participants had a normal night's sleep and were asked to consume a sugary drink containing the same amount of calories one would consume in a typical breakfast upon waking.
• Researchers woke the participants every hour for five minutes and then upon waking were given the same sugary drink.
• Participants experienced the same sleep disruption but were first given 2 cups of strong black coffee 30 minutes before consuming the sugary drink.

After blood tests were done, their findings showed that one night of disrupted sleep did not worsen participants' blood glucose or insulin responses at breakfast, compared to that if one had a normal night's sleep. However, when strong black coffee was consumed before taking the sugary drink, it increased the blood glucose response in the participants by around 50%, according to an article on News-Medical.Net.

Although many studies say coffee may be linked to good health, research has previously shown that caffeine can potentially cause insulin resistance.

Therefore, this new study leads experts to believe drinking coffee after a bad night's sleep may give you the kick you need to keep you from feeling sleepy but it could also trigger other metabolic issues. Long, term, this could result in the body's lack of ability to tolerate the carbohydrates and sugar you consume in your breakfast.

The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, did not find coffee or sleep deprivation had an impact on insulin levels. However, starting the day with strong black coffee prior to breakfast after a poor night's sleep did result in negative effects on the tests.

Professor James Betts, senior author of the research study, said:

"Nearly half of us will wake in the morning and, before doing anything else, drink coffee - intuitively the more tired we feel, the stronger the coffee."

"Perhaps people should wait just a little while later, or until they get to work, so they don't have caffeine in their system when they eat a breakfast containing carbohydrates and sugar." Professor Betts points out.