Caffeine and Health

Research Findings on Caffeine and Insulin Sensitivity

Caffeine and health is a hotly debated issue even these days. Exactly how caffeine affects our bodies can be hard to determine, especially as it can have different affects depending on your physiological state, age etc.

Chinese Tea The below research focuses on just one aspect of how caffeine can affect our physiological systems.

Research Title: Caffeine ingestion increases the insulin response to an oral-glucose-tolerance test in obese men before and after weight loss.

Year Published: 2004

Research Summary: Nine sedentary obese men who were used to consuming caffeine participated in the study looking at caffeine and health.

They underwent a 48 hour period where they refrained from exercise and consumption of caffeine and then were given two oral glucose tolerance tests. The subjects were randomly given either caffeine or a placebo one hour before each glucose tolerance test.

The men were then taken through a 12 week nutrition and exercise intervention where caffeine was avoided. The men exercised at the lab and were given an individualized diet which was 300 Kcal below what their bodies used to encourage weight loss. Food diaries were examined daily and analyzed by a dietitian.

After the 12 weeks the oral glucose tolerance tests were repeated and the results were compared to those previously completed.

As a result of the intervention looking into caffeine and health issues, the men lost weight and their body fat ratio's decreased.

The results of comparing the before and after glucose tolerance tests suggests that caffeine lowers insulin sensitivity which causes cells to take up much less glucose and thereby increasing blood-glucose levels. The results of this study are consistent with theories that caffeine ingestion increases insulin resistance.

Funding Source:

Muscletech Inc. and Gatorade Sports.

Source:

Heather J Petrie, Sara E Chown, Laura M Belfie, Alison M Duncan, Drew H McLaren, Julie A Conquer and Terry E Graham. Caffeine ingestion increases the insulin response to an oral-glucose-tolerance test in obese men before and after weight loss. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 1, 22-28, July 2004 Full Text

While the issues relating to caffeine are complex, this particular study shows that while caffeine is generally accepted as safe, at least in some individuals, it can have some adverse effects.

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