Coffee and Insulin Spikes in the morning.

[Glycemic]

Good morning all, Just a very concerning question. How many of you drink coffee in the morning just after waking? I have been drinking coffee for years and mostly to increase my hypotension (low blood pressure. But lately i have noticed that drinking coffee in the a.m. straight after waking is causing hypoglycaemia symptoms, mainly the headaches, blurred vision, dizziness and making me feel weak, tired and under the weather.

I had a read online and most of the information states that coffee indeed causes blood sugar spikes:-

How Does Coffee Affect Your Blood Sugar?

That cup of coffee, tea, or soda can affect blood sugar control. Here’s what people who have diabetes need to know.

www.webmd.com

• Caffeine raises levels of certain stress hormones, like epinephrine (also called adrenaline). Epinephrine can prevent your cells from processing as much sugar. It may also keep your body from making as much insulin.
• It blocks a chemical called adenosine. This molecule plays a big role in how much insulin your body makes. It also controls how your cells respond to it. Caffeine keeps adenosine which plays a big role in how much insulin your body makes.

 

[becca59]

Have personally never had a problem with coffee. My problem is putting my feet on floor and moving first thing. I drink a coffee about 10am and my CGM stays the same.

 

[CatsFive]

If you knock the coffee on the head do your symptoms resolve?

 

[lovinglife]

I drink straight black coffees and never had a problem, I do recall some posters in the past saying it raises their BG but not by a large spike

 

[KennyA]

Good morning all, Just a very concerning question. How many of you drink coffee in the morning just after waking? I have been drinking coffee for years and mostly to increase my hypotension (low blood pressure. But lately i have noticed that drinking coffee in the a.m. straight after waking is causing hypoglycaemia symptoms, mainly the headaches, blurred vision, dizziness and making me feel weak, tired and under the weather.

I had a read online and most of the information states that coffee indeed causes blood sugar spikes:-

How Does Coffee Affect Your Blood Sugar?

That cup of coffee, tea, or soda can affect blood sugar control. Here’s what people who have diabetes need to know.

www.webmd.com

• Caffeine raises levels of certain stress hormones, like epinephrine (also called adrenaline). Epinephrine can prevent your cells from processing as much sugar. It may also keep your body from making as much insulin.
• It blocks a chemical called adenosine. This molecule plays a big role in how much insulin your body makes. It also controls how your cells respond to it. Caffeine keeps adenosine which plays a big role in how much insulin your body makes.

I do - 2/3 of a moka pot, around four shots, with cream and sweetner. It doesn't affect my BG at all in getting on four years of regular testing.

I'm not at all sure that "most of the information" supports the "coffee causes BG rises" hypothesis. It may well be a function of your google search. Many of the "studies" on coffee (regardless of outcome) are frankly junk, but they get headlines.

The quotes you give from the WebMD article are hedged - eg "may make it harder " so they are not being at all definite, and the article doesn't cite the studies it claims in support. The one that is mentioned used caffeine pills rather than brewed coffee and there's no other info about the study design at all. Did the caffeine pill people also go on drinking their normal amount of coffee, for example?

The same article also says

"People with diabetes who are regular coffee drinkers don’t have higher blood sugar levels than those who aren’t."

and

"Studies show that coffee may lower your odds of getting type 2 diabetes in the first place. Experts think that’s because the drink is high in antioxidants. These compounds reduce inflammation in your system, which can raise your chance of having the disease."

Again none of this is properly referenced.

So I don't think WebMD has a coherent view. It's just someone cobbling an internet article together. Best advice would be to see what your meter tells you about how you react to coffee - if you don't like the results, don't drink it.

 

[6 toes]

Anything to do with milk maybe? I've stopped milk and notice no spikes.

 

[Lamont D]

I don't drink coffee! My tipple during the day is tea!
And it could be the lactose in the milk!
Quite a few have full fat milk or cream in their coffee a lot less carbs and more natural fats.
The question does highlight the reaction from coffee and tea, how the hormones do play a part in his our bodies cope with food.

 

[SimonP78]

Anything to do with milk maybe? I've stopped milk and notice no spikes.

I wonder about this, I get dawn phenomenon and also seem to get a reaction to coffee in the morning, I've not yet tried to remove the coffee from the equation to see what happens though. I imagine part of the it is the ~5g CHO of milk per cup though and I have quite a few.

 

[Antje77]

I imagine part of the it is the ~5g CHO of milk per cup

Milk (at least my semi skimmed carton) has 4.5 grams of carbs per 100 ml.
Do you fill your cup half and half with milk and coffee?

 

[SimonP78]

Pretty much yes! (I may also have slightly over-estimated the quantity of carbs!)

 

[Glycemic]

If you knock the coffee on the head do your symptoms resolve?

Today is the first day that i haven't had coffee. So far i'm not symptomatic, but in saying that i'll have to continue for a few days to see whether it helps or whether it's just a one off thing. I'm not sure why the coffee affects me so much since i only drink it black with no sugar/substitute sugar or milk/cream. So at this stage for me it's wait and see.

 

[Glycemic]

I do - 2/3 of a moka pot, around four shots, with cream and sweetner. It doesn't affect my BG at all in getting on four years of regular testing.

I'm not at all sure that "most of the information" supports the "coffee causes BG rises" hypothesis. It may well be a function of your google search. Many of the "studies" on coffee (regardless of outcome) are frankly junk, but they get headlines.

The quotes you give from the WebMD article are hedged - eg "may make it harder " so they are not being at all definite, and the article doesn't cite the studies it claims in support. The one that is mentioned used caffeine pills rather than brewed coffee and there's no other info about the study design at all. Did the caffeine pill people also go on drinking their normal amount of coffee, for example?

The same article also says

"People with diabetes who are regular coffee drinkers don’t have higher blood sugar levels than those who aren’t."

and

"Studies show that coffee may lower your odds of getting type 2 diabetes in the first place. Experts think that’s because the drink is high in antioxidants. These compounds reduce inflammation in your system, which can raise your chance of having the disease."

Again none of this is properly referenced.

So I don't think WebMD has a coherent view. It's just someone cobbling an internet article together. Best advice would be to see what your meter tells you about how you react to coffee - if you don't like the results, don't drink it.

I'm not sure where or not caffeine consumption affects everyone with hypoglycaemia or not but i do know that it affects me. My hypoglycaemia was diagnosed as reactive hypoglycaemia which has something to do with the adrenals /cortisol and stress hormones and how it reacts to both stress and carbohydrates or at least this is what i have been told. There's so much for me to learn, study and investigate about my system and how it works and how it responds to both carbs and stress hormones. I also have an endocrinologist appointment next month to work out what is best to control my symptoms and to eliminate other causes that may have contributed to my having hypoglycaemia in the first place.
here are a couple of other links that relate to hypos with caffeine

Effect of caffeine on the recognition of and responses to hypoglycemia in humans - PubMed

Acute ingestion of caffeine is associated with sympathoadrenal activation and awareness of hypoglycemia at a glucose level not usually considered hypoglycemic. Our data suggest that individuals who ingest moderate amounts of caffeine may develop hypoglycemic symptoms if plasma glucose levels...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

If you go to the special consideration section and go down to number 8 it states "'Caffeine should be avoided. Caffeine stimulates the production of adrenaline. So does reactive hypoglycaemia. Therefore, caffeine in the diet can make symptoms''

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is the term for a blood glucose level that is lower than normal. When foods are digested in the body, they are broken down into many nutrients. These nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream to be used in performing various body functions. One of these nutrients is glucose, a...

www.gicare.com

 

[KennyA]

I'm not sure where or not caffeine consumption affects everyone with hypoglycaemia or not but i do know that it affects me. My hypoglycaemia was diagnosed as reactive hypoglycaemia which has something to do with the adrenals /cortisol and stress hormones and how it reacts to both stress and carbohydrates or at least this is what i have been told. There's so much for me to learn, study and investigate about my system and how it works and how it responds to both carbs and stress hormones. I also have an endocrinologist appointment next month to work out what is best to control my symptoms and to eliminate other causes that may have contributed to my having hypoglycaemia in the first place.
here are a couple of other links that relate to hypos with caffeine

Effect of caffeine on the recognition of and responses to hypoglycemia in humans - PubMed

Acute ingestion of caffeine is associated with sympathoadrenal activation and awareness of hypoglycemia at a glucose level not usually considered hypoglycemic. Our data suggest that individuals who ingest moderate amounts of caffeine may develop hypoglycemic symptoms if plasma glucose levels...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

If you go to the special consideration section and go down to number 8 it states "'Caffeine should be avoided. Caffeine stimulates the production of adrenaline. So does reactive hypoglycaemia. Therefore, caffeine in the diet can make symptoms''

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is the term for a blood glucose level that is lower than normal. When foods are digested in the body, they are broken down into many nutrients. These nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream to be used in performing various body functions. One of these nutrients is glucose, a...

www.gicare.com

Sorry, I'm becoming confused now. You have a RH diagnosis? That's fairly significant information.

tagging @Lamont D who might be able to assist on the RH front.

And if this is your first day without coffee I'm not sure that you can definitely say yet that your problem is coffee. As with a lot of things, asking other people what happens for them may not produce answers that help you.

 

[Antje77]

Good morning all, Just a very concerning question. How many of you drink coffee in the morning just after waking? I have been drinking coffee for years and mostly to increase my hypotension (low blood pressure. But lately i have noticed that drinking coffee in the a.m. straight after waking is causing hypoglycaemia symptoms, mainly the headaches, blurred vision, dizziness and making me feel weak, tired and under the weather.

Do you test your blood glucose when you have those symptoms?
What are your numbers like?

 

[Glycemic]

Sorry, I'm becoming confused now. You have a RH diagnosis? That's fairly significant information.

tagging @Lamont D who might be able to assist on the RH front.

And if this is your first day without coffee I'm not sure that you can definitely say yet that your problem is coffee. As with a lot of things, asking other people what happens for them may not produce answers that help you.

Sorry, I should have stated that i was RH and not diabetic. When I joined the forum I only had the prediabetic option to place under my profile. So i apologise for confusing you with my post.

 

[Glycemic]

Do you test your blood glucose when you have those symptoms?
What are your numbers like?

Not yet, I have to get my GP to write a letter to my health insurance company to get the meter and am waiting for the Australian Diabetes Institute to accept my diagnosis so as to be eligible for the discounted blood glucose strips as they can be quite expensive in Australia. I just go by my symptoms and how i feel after i consume the coffee in the am since i don't consume any foods till hours later.

 

[Antje77]

Sorry, I should have stated that i was RH and not diabetic. When I joined the forum I only had the prediabetic option to place under my profile. So i apologise for confusing you with my post.

You should be able to adjust your profile, reactive hypoglyceamia is definitely one of the options.
How are you treating your RH at the moment?

 

[Glycemic]

You should be able to adjust your profile, reactive hypoglyceamia is definitely one of the options.
How are you treating your RH at the moment?

I don't know how to do that. I have only managed to upload my picture.

At the moment i'm diet based. Along with a dietitian we are trying to work out what i can and cannot eat.

 

[SimonP78]

Milk (at least my semi skimmed carton) has 4.5 grams of carbs per 100 ml.
Do you fill your cup half and half with milk and coffee?

I realise this is going slightly away from the important information in the thread but I was curious, so I weighed a cup of coffee this morning (which I'd done before but @Antje77 made me wonder):

hot water: 220g
milk: 108g

So that is about 5g of carbs (assuming density of milk is similar to that of water, which it should be) and a mere 1/3 of the cup (along with strong coffee for something latte-ish)

 

[Lamont D]

I don't know how to do that. I have only managed to upload my picture.

At the moment i'm diet based. Along with a dietitian we are trying to work out what i can and cannot eat.

I can only warn you that a dietician may not have encountered RH before and on my experience, she would have to understand that having RH is very similar to having a carb intolerance. I have since birth had a lactose intolerance and as this is quite common and the majority of doctors and dietician insist on avoiding it. However, because of text book treatment regarding RH, the intolerance to carbs is ignored! The textbook says it is carb laden meals that trigger the reaction but for me and many otheres, it does not matter how many carbs are in your meal wether high GI or low GI, the result is the same, carbs are carbs and carbs will trigger the reaction and the symptoms, the hypos!
Only a very low carb diet or being in or near being in keto levels will work for me! You may be different in some respects but it always comes back to carbs and sugars!
I hope you get your monitor for testing your BG levels, it is so important for those that are diagnosed, to discover which carbs are worse than others and how much you can tolerate without the reaction. I was told to keep a food diary with as much information about my intake and before and after two hours readings, as a baseline., Portion size, exercise, important stuff, including fasting BG readings. You get to know your body and what you can do to improve your health. It can be done!

Keep asking. Knowledge is important!