Dr. A recommends that we don't drink more than 2 servings of caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, soda) a day. The reason? Because caffeine affects your insulin production and, thus, can affect your blood sugar.
Here's a description of what the earliest research (from this article on WebMD) found in 2002:
Quote:
Caffeine is one of the most widely used "drugs" in the world. And now researchers have found that caffeine affects how well insulin -- the hormone that regulates blood sugar -- works in the body.
Caffeine is able to enter the brain and directly increase blood pressure and stimulate the release of stress hormones. These hormones are known to affect insulin and blood sugar in the body. So the researchers investigated whether caffeine has any harmful effects on blood sugar metabolism.
Lead researcher Gerben B. Keijzers, MD, and colleagues gave either caffeine or a placebo -- through a vein in the arm -- to 12 healthy volunteers. They then measured blood levels of insulin and stress hormones.
The caffeine was given at a dose of 3 mg per kilogram. For a 120 pound woman, that's equal to 160 mg of caffeine. For a 170 pound man, that's 230 mg.
The researchers then calculated insulin sensitivity. This is a measure of how well the body is using insulin. When insulin sensitivity goes down, this indicates that your body is less able to take blood sugar into the cells to be used for energy.
Caffeine decreased insulin sensitivity by 15%, a significant decline compared to placebo. Plus, stress hormone levels in the blood increased with caffeine. Blood pressure increased to a small degree as well.
A brewed 7 oz. cup of coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine. A 12 oz. cup of iced tea has 70 mg...
More and more research has come out on this over the past four years since I started SBD. Here are links to a few articles; there are many, many more out there.
Researchers link caffeine, blood sugar spikes
Effects of Caffeine and Coffee on Diabetes, Insuln Resistance Syndrome & Hypoglycemia (be aware that this is written by a group that sells caffeine-free herbal coffee, so they have a vested interest in your thinking caffeine is bad. Still, they offer links that appear helpful, including a
quiz to see if your caffeine intake is too high.)
Caffeine Tied to Blood Sugar Problems But Don't Be Too Quick to Blame Coffee (some of the properties in coffee might help)
Diabetes Sufferers: Beware Of Caffeine
Diabetics advised to avoid caffeine; new study shows radical blood sugar effects
CAFFEINE BLOCKS INSULIN
Caffeine Can Decrease Insulin Sensitivity in Humans (full text of a study with a small group--21 people--that showed caffeine reduced insulin sensitivity in healthy humans)
The Caffeine Roundtable: Is it time to jettison the java? (interesting, lengthy discussion that may have some bias)
This article reviews a study done on caffeine and sugar, when ingested together, but I think it still has some pertinent facts. Here's a snippet from the article:
Quote:
Caffeine affects the brain in two ways, explains Dr. David Kerr, consultant physician at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital in Bournemouth, U.K. "It drops your blood flow in your brain and at the same time it tells the brain to demand more glucose (sugar). So it has this dichotomy, and the end result is that the brain thinks it's getting less sugar than it actually is... Now we're not talking about a huge dose of caffeine here, we're only talking about 2 to 3 cups of coffee."
Opinions on how much effect caffeine has vary, as do recommendations--some people advice that only people with Type 2 Diabetes or hypoglycemia need worry, while others say that it can affect all of us.
Here are a couple articles with varying opinions:
Caffeine: Does it affect blood sugar?
Caffeine Boosts Insulin Resistance Regardless of Exercise, Weight Loss
End Result: Be aware of your own body and how you react. If caffeine seems to be making you crave, you definitely should try cutting it out. Dr. A gives tips in the book (one of them is to try drinking half caf and half decaf when you drink coffee), but I think Jenne's is a great one!
As for ways to lighten (add cream) to your coffee, check out these threads for tons of great SBD-safe ideas (and reasons why you shouldn't be using creamer):
Coffee drinkers : what is your fav brand ? fav creamer ?
coffee creamers??
Please do avoid regular 1/2 and 1/2, Oh 2 Be Me. It's really bad for your heart, as Dr. A explains in the book.
I used to be a 6-7 diet soda/coffee a day girl. Now? If I have 3 total it's a lot!
