Diabetes type 2 warning: Study issues serious warning about having coffee in the morning – Daily Express

Type 2 diabetes can cause serious complications if left untreated because uncontrolled blood sugar levels - the main threat - can cause a wave of destructive effects. Insulin is a hormone that's usually responsible for regulating blood sugar. However, this mechanism is impaired if you have type 2 diabetes so people have to find alternative ways to regulate blood sugar. According to research published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the timing of your morning coffee can influence blood sugar control.

The study found having a strong, black coffee to wake you up after a disturbed night's sleep could impair control of blood sugar levels.

Research from the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism at the University of Bath (UK) looked at the effect of broken sleep and morning coffee across a range of different metabolic markers.

The scientists showed that whilst one night of poor sleep has limited impact on our metabolism, drinking coffee as a way to rouse you from a slumber can have a negative effect on blood glucose (sugar) control.

To gather their findings, the physiologists at the University of Bath asked 29 healthy men and women to undergo three different overnight experiments in a random order:

READ MORE:Diabetes type 2 symptoms: Three subtle warning signs of high blood sugar in your hands

In each of these tests, blood samples from participants were taken following the glucose drink which in energy content (calories) mirrored what might typically be consumed for breakfast.

Their findings highlight that one night of disrupted sleep did not worsen participants' blood glucose/ insulin responses at breakfast, when compared to a normal night's sleep.

However, strong black coffee consumed before breakfast substantially increased the blood glucose response to breakfast by around 50 percent.

Although population-level surveys indicate that coffee may be linked to good health, past research has previously demonstrated that caffeine has the potential to cause insulin resistance.

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This new study therefore reveals that the common remedy of drinking coffee after a bad night's sleep may remedy the problem of feeling sleepy but could create another by limiting your body's ability to tolerate the sugar in your breakfast.

Professor James Betts, Co-Director of the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism at the University of Bath who oversaw the work, explained: "We know that nearly half of us will wake in the morning and, before doing anything else, drink coffee - intuitively the more tired we feel, the stronger the coffee.

"This study is important and has far-reaching health implications as up until now we have had limited knowledge about what this is doing to our bodies, in particular for our metabolic and blood sugar control.

"Put simply, our blood sugar control is impaired when the first thing our bodies come into contact with is coffee, especially after a night of disrupted sleep. We might improve this by eating first and then drinking coffee later if we feel we still need it. Knowing this can have important health benefits for us all."

Lead researcher, Harry Smith from the Department for Health at Bath added: "These results show that one night of disrupted sleep alone did not worsen participants' blood glucose/insulin response to the sugary drink compared to a normal night of sleep which will be reassuring to many of us. However, starting a day after a poor night's sleep with a strong coffee did have a negative effect on glucose metabolism by around 50 percent.

"As such, individuals should try to balance the potential stimulating benefits of caffeinated coffee in the morning with the potential for higher blood glucose levels and it may be better to consume coffee following breakfast rather than before.

"There is a lot more we need to learn about the effects of sleep on our metabolism, such as how much sleep disruption is necessary to impair our metabolism and what some of the longer-term implications of this are, as well as how exercise, for instance, could help to counter some of this."

Many people have type 2 diabetes without realising.

According to the NHS, this is because symptoms do not necessarily make you feel unwell.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:

According to the NHS, you should see a GP if you have any of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes or you're worried you may have a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

"You'll need a blood test, which you may have to go to your local health centre for if it cannot be done at your GP surgery."

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Diabetes type 2 warning: Study issues serious warning about having coffee in the morning - Daily Express