Milk or cream? Sugar or sweetener? If you're a coffee or tea lover, you've always been faced with choices. Researchers now believe that caffeine may play a role in the development of diabetes, presenting your most important decision yet: to choose a traditional or decaf blend.
In Japan, researchers have claimed that those who take caffeine in the form of coffee or green tea may reduce the risk of diabetes. Medical experts, on the other hand, now claim that caffeine can pose a higher risk for diabetes. A study conducted on participants aged 40 to 65 who drank black, green and oolong teas showed that drinking at least three or more cups of these caffeinated beverages each day could result in a 33 percent reduction in their risk of diabetes. Other substances in coffee, however, can have negative effects on the body's metabolism, creating other health problems. Modern research suggests that it's advisable to avoid caffeine in order to reduce the risk of diabetes.
Most modern research shows that avoiding caffeine is still advisable for those wanting to reduce the risk of diabetes. Researchers from a well-known university medical center found that drinking caffeine with meals caused an increase in glucose levels and insulin among people suffering Type 2 diabetes. Insulin is a component required for cells to convert glucose into energy. When a person with diabetes drinks caffeine with a meal, the caffeine can hinder the ability to metabolize the meals that are eaten. Fasting subjects who took part in this research saw no significant change in their glucose or insulin levels.
Keeping blood glucose levels down in the goal of all diabetics. Smart lifestyle choices, like a healthy diet combined with exercise, are important to controlling these glucose levels. As a result of the recent medical research, it may also be necessary to eliminate caffeine from your diet.
Diabetes prevents the body from controlling sugar levels in the blood. For many patients, the body does not produce sufficient insulin. Other patients suffer with a hormone that resists insulin. The caffeine in coffee and tea has been shown to have a direct negative effect on insulin levels. There is another way that caffeine can pose a risk to diabetics.
Alloxan is a chemical that poisons the cells that produce insulin. Laboratory tests have shown that when mice were fed with alloxan, they developed diabetes. The cells that produce insulin were destroyed by the alloxan, resulting in the conditions for diabetes. Caffeine causes the body to produce alloxan naturally. Theoretically, caffeine consumption can lead to the production of alloxan, which in turn can cause diabetes or make the condition worse. Aside from poisoning our insulin-creating cells, alloxan is a free radical generator that causes aging and disease. Alloxan directly damages the pancreas, and may cause pancreatic cancer.
Caffeine is a contributor to many diseases but unfortunately our society thrives on it. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks and chocolate, so those who drink several cups of coffee or several soft drinks a day are taking in massive doses of deadly alloxan on a daily basis. Even decaffeinated products will still contain a certain amount of caffeine. Everyone should limit caffeine intake, particularly people with diabetes.
Caffeine intake used to be a health issue reserved for older patients. Now, younger people are facing the same dangers. The soft drink industry is, sadly, marketing "power drinks" with dangerously high levels of caffeine to consumers in the age 15-21 demographic. Some juices and even bottled waters are infused with caffeine, and even respected tea manufacturers are producing "high-powered" teas that are packed with caffeine.
If you are interested in preventing the onset of diabetes, consider lowering your caffeine intake. If you already suffer with the disease, speak with your doctor about the correlation between caffeine and diabetes. For your good health, take steps to reduce caffeine. For optimal health, eliminate it from your diet altogether.
