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Coffee and fatty food cause dangerous rises in blood sugar

Category: Diabetes

Eating a fatty fast food meal is never a good idea for a person with diabetes. But drinking a coffee immediately after the meal only serves to compound the problems for individuals who consistently have unhealthy insulin tests results, according to a new study from University of Guelph researchers.

Their study showed that a person's blood sugar levels spike dramatically following a fatty fast food meal, and that this increase is nearly doubled when the person drinks a cup of coffee after eating.

The researchers said that the combination of high-fat food and caffeinated drinks appear to interfere with the body's ability to clear sugar from arteries. This contributes to the persistently high blood sugar levels noted by the study.

This can be a major problem, as the investigators noted, because excessive amounts of sugar in the arteries can cause damage to many organs throughout the body. Diabetics often experiences health complications because of this effect.

"We have known for many years that people with or at risk of type 2 diabetes should limit their caffeine intake," said Marie-Soleil Beaudoin, who led the study. "Drinking decaffeinated coffee instead of caffeinated is one way to improve one's glucose tolerance."