Caffeine revisited & blood sugar

[Guest guest]

I can't have caffeine, even something as small as a can of Coke will get my

heart racing into the 130's! lol......not fun.

Here is a copy of an article from WebMd.com there were some very interesting

articles on there when I did a search for Caffeine. There were tons of articles

about caffeine and those who suffer panic attacks and how even something as

simple as a 12oz can of soda can give someone who suffers from panic attacks an

attack........but the articles say that drs. fail to tell patients this, they

give them an anti anxiety med and leave it at that.

I found this article intersting because what happens to us when our blood sugar

dips? We can easily go over points by eating junk, since it makes you want to

reach for something sweet/high carb.

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. Here are some examples of caffeine amounts in various soft

drinks:

Mountain Dew 55 mg

Coca-Cola 46 mg

Mr. Pibb 41 mg

Dr. Pepper 40 mg

Pepsi-Cola 37 mg

It's important to keep in mind that these were healthy people. The question of

whether caffeine might decrease insulin sensitivity and thus raise blood sugar

in someone with diabetes is still unanswered. The results of this study suggest

that it might.