High Fat, Coffee Combo Doubles Blood Sugar

Blood sugar levels in a healthy person can spike nearly 65 percent after consuming a high-fat meal and cup of caffeinated coffee, according to a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers at the University of Guelph examined the effects of saturated fat and caffeinated coffee on blood sugar levels using a novel fat cocktail which contains only lipids. The specially designed beverage allows researchers to accurately mimic what happens to the body when fat is ingested.

For the study, healthy men drank about 1 gram of the fat beverage for every kilogram of body weight for their first meal. Six hours later, they were given a second meal consisting of a sugar drink. The researchers found that the fatty meal affected the body's ability to clear the sugar out of the blood. The subjects' blood sugar levels were 32 percent higher than they were when the men had not ingested the fat cocktail.

The researchers also tested the impact of caffeinated coffee combined with the fatty meal. For this test, participants received the equivalent of two cups of caffeinated coffee five hours after ingesting the fat beverage. An hour later, they were then given the sugar drink. The results showed blood sugar levels increased by 65 percent compared to what they were when participants had not ingested the fat and caffeinated coffee.

"This shows that the effects of a high-fat meal can last for hours," the researchers said. "What you eat for lunch can impact how your body responds to food later in the day."

The researchers also examined gastrointestinal effects by measuring incretin hormones released by the gut after ingesting the fat. These hormones signal the pancreas to release insulin to help clear the blood of sugar. They discovered the hormones' responses to carbohydrates are blunted after ingesting the fat beverage.

"Ultimately we have found that fat and caffeinated coffee are impairing the communication between the gut and the pancreas, which could be playing a role in why participants couldn't clear the sugar from their blood as easily," they said.

Sources:

* University of Guelph: Got a Hankering for Fast Food? Skip the Coffee, Study Says