It's always interesting to me to observe what sort of medical news makes
the headlines, and lately we've seen a number of stories talking about a new study that
shows how caffeine destabilizes blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics. According to the
study, when people with diabetes consume caffeine with meals, it causes their blood glucose
to swing wildly and their insulin to go out of control. This study is being published in
the journal Diabetes Care. What's interesting about this is that the effects of caffeine
on blood sugar have been well-known for many decades by naturopathic physicians,
nutritionists, and people in holistic health fields. In fact, I thought it was common
knowledge, but apparently, it's headline news. It should be obvious to anyone consuming
caffeine that it is affecting their blood sugar levels. All a person has to do is be aware
of what's happening in their own body -- that is, have good body awareness -- and they can
detect the effects of caffeine within just a few minutes after consuming it. But apparently,
many people do not have such a close relationship with their body, and they may not be aware
of the physiological effects being caused by caffeine.
So this news may come as a shock to many Type 2 diabetics, and it could
prove to be especially disturbing, given that most diabetics are overweight, that one of
the ways they attempt to lose weight is by consuming diet pills that boost their metabolism
with caffeine. In essence, the diet pills that many diabetics are taking in an attempt to
lose weight may actually be causing their blood sugar to swing even more unpredictably, and
ultimately result in more extreme carbohydrate cravings, which causes them to overeat and
lose progress on their diet. In response to this, some people just decide to take ridiculous
quantities of weight-loss pills, and this is exactly how a handful of people were harmed by
taking Ephedra, an herbal weight-loss supplement that contains natural caffeine compounds.
If you take too much caffeine, of course you are going to do yourself damage, just as if
you drank twelve cups of coffee on an empty stomach.
Beyond the issue of diabetics and diet pills, it's interesting to note
that America has a love affair with coffee. So many people, including many people that I
know, start their day with one or two cups of coffee, and can't imagine living without it.
They are using caffeine as medication, as a drug, to alter their body chemistry and mental
response. This use of caffeine is, I believe, irresponsible, if not downright wacky. The
human mind shouldn't need a stimulant to function properly. The body shouldn't need a dose
of drugs every morning to feel energetic. If you are currently addicted to coffee -- and yes,
it is an addiction -- that's an indication that there's something else lacking in your diet,
or there's something that needs adjustment in your lifestyle. Because a healthy person wakes
up and hops out of bed with extraordinary energy and fantastic mental clarity without needing
any drugs whatsoever. If this doesn't describe the way you wake up, caffeine isn't the answer.
It's better to look at your food and nutrition (see related ebook on nutrition) to find
what might be causing sluggishness.
Getting back to the study, caffeine certainly does alter the balance of
blood sugar in the human body, but there's something else here that's worth mentioning:
when caffeine is consumed in combination with refined sugars, such as the refined white
sugar that many people put in their morning coffee, it multiplies the effect on the blood
sugar, causing extreme imbalances that can lead to hypoglycemia. It should go without saying
that diabetic patients must avoid that combination for the rest of their lives. Caffeine
plus refined carbohydrates (or sugar) is literally a deadly combination for any person who
is diabetic. For people who aren't diabetic, the combination can also spell trouble, and it
can push someone towards obesity or diabetes if they continue to consume that combination
over the long haul.
Now, there may be a few people out there who are able to handle both
caffeine and refined sugars without showing these radical blood sugar swings, and if you're
one of those people, good for you, but make no mistake, you are the exception, not the
general rule. Most people have difficulty with this combination, whether they realize it
or not, and they would do much better, in terms of health, body weight, mental clarity and
overall wellness, by removing both caffeine and refined sugars from their diets for the
rest of their lives. So, say goodbye to that Starbucks Frappucino, and consider ditching
that caffeinated tea with sugar. Instead, get yourself a non-caffeine drink, like pure water
or unsweetened soy milk.
Source: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/91/101102.htm?lastselectedguid=%7B5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348%7D
