Experts have cautioned against a morning cup of coffee before breakfast, warning of the potential negative health implications of drinking coffee on an empty stomach. Researchers from the University of Bath have advised making sure to line your stomach prior to that first sip of caffeine, which they say could significantly impact a person's glucose control.
As previously reported by the Daily Express, research showed sleep disruption and coffee intake can both independently impact glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity among healthy adults. Blood glucose, which is required for energy, is carried to your body cells through your blood. It's important to keep glucose levels within a healthy range to help prevent serious health concerns from arising, such as heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes.
The study, the findings of which were published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2020, was carried out on 29 healthy male and female participants, all of whom partook in three different overnight experiments.
Scenario one saw participants drink a sugary beverage after waking up from a normal, uninterrupted sleep. In scenario two, they drank the exact same beverage after sleeping poorly, having been awoken every hour for five minutes each time.
When it came to the third scenario, participants drank a strong black coffee after waking up from an interrupted sleep and were also given a sugary beverage half an hour later.
Once all three scenarios were concluded, researchers collected blood samples from each of the 29 participants and examined their blood glucose response.
It was found that disrupted sleep had no apparent significant effect on a person's glucose levels when compared to interrupted sleep. A strong black coffee drank on an empty stomach however increased their blood glucose response to the sugary drink by approximately 50 percent.
Although further research is needed to better understand long-term risks, the team of nutritionists concluded that drinking black coffee first thing before breakfast could indeed have a notable effect on a person's blood sugar and metabolic control after an interrupted night's sleep.
It's believed this is because coffee raises a person's cortisol levels extremely quickly, which will then take some time to return to normal. Cortisol is your body's main stress hormone, and you can run the risk of persistent high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes if levels remain at chronically high levels.
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