
Caffeine and Diabetes: How Much Is Safe to Consume?
Navigating what you can and cannot eat and drink when you have type 2 diabetes can be tricky. Of course, there’s the obvious stuff you know is good to cut out or limit in your diet, like processed sweets and other refined carbohydrates, which can cause blood sugar levels to soar when eaten in excess. But what about those murkier diet staples, which seem to straddle the line between healthy and indulgent, but are ingrained in so many of our everyday rituals?
For millions of people in various cultures around the world, caffeinated drinks are likely the sort of thing that comes to mind when we talk about food or drinks in a healthy diabetes diet that aren’t so cut-and-dried. If you’ve recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or have been living with the disease for a while and are seeking better blood sugar control, the subject of caffeine in a diabetes diet is a fair concern.
Caffeinated Drinks for Diabetes: Are They Safe?
“For people already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, studies have shown caffeine consumption decreases insulin sensitivity and raises blood sugar levels,” says Toby Smithson, RDN, CDE, who is based in Hilton Head, South Carolina. According to a review published in April 2017 in Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, five out of seven trials studied found that caffeine increases blood glucose and keeps levels higher longer.
That doesn’t sound good, but if you’re accustomed to having your morning java, don’t skip out on the drink just yet. Some studies suggest that other components of caffeinated coffee may offer some b
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