Should I try to stay away from caffeine altogether?
I thought I read somewhere a while ago regarding caffeine and insulin release-but for the life of me I can’t remember the details of the article.
Here is the article. I have defiantely removed caffeine from my diet.
While there were several interesting topics presented, including a lecture given by a MD/PhD and research superstar Wim Saris who confirmed all of my incessant ramblings about the value of protein and amino acids with glucose and maltodextrin in a post-workout drink, the topic I found most interesting was the research presented on caffeine/coffee and insulin sensitivity.
For a while now I’ve been cautioning my clients and T-mag readers about the ill effects caffeine and typical thermogenic agents have on insulin sensitivity. Well, at the University of Guelph they’ve been investigating this issue intensively and here’s what they found:
- Caffeine intake (in all of its forms) decreases whole body glucose disposal (carbohydrate uptake) by 15-30%.
- Caffeine intake decreases skeletal muscle glucose disposal by 50%.
- When consumed with a standard carbohydrate breakfast, caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity, leading to large increases in blood insulin. But even in the face of this insulin surge, blood glucose doesn’t disappear at a normal rate. When the body can’t take up carbohydrates properly (as when drinking coffee), it releases loads of insulin to help out. However, the coffee actually prevents the insulin from doing this job and you end up with high insulin and glucose. That, my friends, is the serum profile of the obese, type II diabetic.
- Caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity for at least three hours (this is the duration of the longest study they’ve performed), but the true duration of the effect isn’t known. I speculate that it’s at least five hours, the half life of caffeine.
In this case, many people are probably walking around all day with impaired insulin sensitivity. If you’re a coffee drinker you should realize that you’re living your life like a diabetic except during the times that it could actually be diagnosed. When you go to the doc to see why you’re so fat or you feel like crap (if you have any glucose or insulin tolerance problems), what do you have to do? You have to fast overnight and avoid coffee! So 99% of your waking life you’re functionally diabetic and that 1% of the time when it really matters and can be diagnosed, you’re not. No wonder experts suggest that 50% of North Americans are diabetics who aren’t diagnosed as such. - In one study, four groups were used to evaluate the effect of caffeine and glycemic index on insulin sensitivity.
• The first group got decaf and a low-GI breakfast. They saw a normal blood glucose and insulin response.
• The second group got decaf and a high-GI breakfast. They saw a bigger insulin and glucose response in the blood.
• However, when the low GI group got regular coffee with breakfast, their blood profile was worse than that of those who got the high-glycemic breakfast and decaf. Therefore coffee/caffeine can turn a low glycemic meal into a high glycemic meal!
• Finally, the group that drank coffee and had the high-glycemic meal ended up looking like diabetics. - One interesting hypothesis generated at the seminar was as follows: In terms of insulin sensitivity, caffeine alone is worse than coffee and obviously (as seen above) coffee is worse than nothing. However, some people believe that certain substances in coffee (specific quinides) can actually increase glucose disposal and improve insulin sensitivity. While the quinide content of coffee isn’t strong enough to counter the effects of the caffeine, the quinides in decaf coffee may actually increase glucose and insulin tolerance. This hypothesis still needs to be tested and proper doses have yet to be discussed; however, keep your eyes out for this research in the near future.
So the final word on coffee and caffeine is this - stay the heck away from it! The only way to minimize the damage it causes may be to drink your coffee with a very low carbohydrate meal and eat only low carb meals for the next few hours after your coffee intake. I know, I know, it now sucks to be a coffee drinker! But giving up your java may bring you some great health and physique benefits.
It was John Berardi’s last “Appetite for Construction” column.
Just wait, JMB tells me a new Caffeine Round table will be published ery soon. Until we know unless you are trying to get cut, I’d watch the intake…
After reading John’s article, I’ve cut back on the caffeine, using it only when needed, and laying off the iced tea in restaurants. (I was never much of a coffee drinker so no worries there.) “Needed” to me means when I’m seriously dieting - in that case I get the caffeine from MD6 - and when I’m working on a big deep article- in that case I like to get up early, take Power Drive with a caffeine tablet and write for a few hours. (One must learn how to create the “zone” whatever your profession or sport.)
I seldom drink soft drinks, but I do find them satiating when on a reduced carb diet, so I’ll drink diet caffeine-free Pepsi or Coke if I feel the urge for some sweetness. It’s a good craving killer.
Other than that, I would think that if a person really didn’t want to give up his or her morning coffee, they should have it but eat low carb all morning- which I tend to think is a good idea anyway for carb-sensitive types who are always battling the bulge.
So in short, you don’t have to give it up, but use it only when you really think you need it. On the up side, now that I’ve cut back, I really feel the caffeine when I do use it since I’m not so used to it. Think of it as “Targeted Caffeine Usage” as compared to daily caffeine bingeing, which is what most do on a daily basis.
Ok so how long will it take my body to recover once I stay off caffeine? Should I see a noticeble drop in body fat, energy fluctuation, after I have dropped caffeine and stuck with low GI carbs?
That article has summed up my worsed fears. Ever since I started popping caffeine tablets, thermo caps,drinking coffee, and taking mini thins for the last 8 years it has been a bitch to burn fat.
Has anyone noticed benifits now being off of caffeine?
yeah, the only Caffine i take now, is 150mg pre-workout, just to give me bit of a booster after work. Apart from that, i have cut out Tea/Coffee completely. Still have the occasional coke though. Paul Govier
In layman’s terms could someone layout Berardi’s negative effects of caffeine. I do not totally grasp the insulin sensitivity issue. From what I gathered it sounds like if you are trying to gain muscle the negative is that is blocks carbs from going to the muscles, so I assume they go to the fat cells. How about if you are trying to cut, do I really need to worry? The only caffeine I am getting is from MD6 (4 a day).
IMHO, Chris has exactly nailed the proper way
to use caffeine. On the one hand, using it all
the time and becoming dependent on it is a
very bad idea for several reasons. On the
other hand, becoming completely paranoid about
it and never using is probably overkill for
most people (though some people should avoid
it completely). Caffeine is a tool in the tool
box - use it when appropriate, but sparingly,
and not all the time. You use a hammer once
in a while when you need to pound some nails
(unless you’re TC, who uses his penis), but
you don’t go around smashing everything in
sight with a hammer. It’s the same with
caffeine.
Here’s a thought. Since the article says caffine impairs glucose diposal, do you think possiby it is at least somewhat negated when using MD6 because of the 200mg of ALA? ALA is supposed to aid glucose disposal, so, maybe they even out?
Ok, I have a question that hopefully someone has the answer to. Since caffeine is a Xanthine, would these negative affects we’ve all been freaking out about, also apply to other Xanthine’s? Mateine in particular, since I drink yerba mate to fight sleep(studying late), since I can easily fall asleep even on large quantities of caffeine. Thanks in advance.
I will never give up my coffee! I’m happy enough with my physique in that I really don’t see how eliminating caffeine will make much of a difference. I guess it’s a personal thing, and perhaps some people are more caffeine tolerant than others but if you aren’t making as much progress as you’d like then it probably wouldn’t hurt to give it up for a while and see. Buggered if I am though!
I did a quick little look on Medline for studies supporting JB’s stance…I THINK I found that most studies attributed the small change in insulin sensitivity to the catecholamine response to caffeine, not to caffeine’s effects on insulin sensitivity directly, the norepinephrine released in response to the caffeine blunts insulin response…in laymans terms during a fight or flight response you won’t want to be building muscle. Somebody please correct me if I am wrong.
It’s not known what the mechanism of action
is. So it might apply to other xanthines, or
it might not.
Here is some relavant info on caffeines
effects:
“epinephrine diminishes insulin secretion
by a cAMP-coupled regulatory path. In
addition, epinephrine counters the effect of
insulin in liver and peripheral tissue,
where it binds to b-adrenergic receptors,
induces adenylate cycles activity, increases
cAMP, and activates PKA similarly to that of
glucagon. The latter events induce
glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, both of
which are hyperglycemic and which thus counter
insulin’s effect on blood glucose levels. In
addition, epinephrine influences glucose
homeostasis through interaction with
a-adrenergic receptors.”
Translation: epinephrine reduces insulin production, reduces the effect insulin has in liver and peripheral tissue, and increases the amount of glucose dumped into your blood by liver and fat cells.
Found here:
www.indstate.edu/thcme/ mwking/diabetes.html
I wanted to let people’s anger die down before I appeared to discuss this issue. The buzz generated from my benign, in my opinion, comments is unreal. Message boards have been on fire (not only bb and fitness but dietetics newsgroups) lately with many people trying to villanize me. Apparently I’m:
-Very stupid and dont understand research.
**It’s funny that when someone disagrees with your comments, you automatically become instantaneous stupid despite evidence to the contrary.
-To the contrary of the above comments, Im apparently very slick and smarmy since, and as one poster insinuated: It's no coincidence that MD6 with caffeine has been removed from the market and therefore "we" (i.e. Biotest) must be trying to make caffeine look bad since we're not selling it any more.
**I dont even know if caffeine will be in the next MD6 or not. But even if I did and my article was a conspiracy to justify its absence of caffeine, it’s amazing that Im able to orchestrate two decades worth of research for this justification!
Some people have nary a pea sized brain in their heads.
Anyway, keep your eyes out for the Caffeine Roundtable next week. Lonnie Lowery and Doug Kalman participated and it's very good. You can draw your own conclusions from it.
In response to the epi comments, yes, the reason caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity is the epinephrine response. When that epi response is blocked, caffeine has no effect. But just because you understand the mechanisms behind something doesnt make it less important. For example, some of my drug imbibing friends feel much more inclined to take ecstacy because they know the chemical name and the physiological effects. They fail to understand that their knowledge of the drug doesnt abolish it's side effects.
Yes caffeine exerts its ill effects on glucose tolerance via epinephrine. Regardless of how it works, you still get te same result...increased glucose and insulin AUC after meals/OGTT.
Check out the round table for much more.
Is their enough caffine in the typical cup of INSTANT coffie to worry about this? Anyone ? THanks Ed
Yeah, I’m pretty surprised at all of the ensuing controversy. Geez, all you have to do is buy the gold Diet Coke can instead of the silver one.
I use to run a espresso stand and one thing I learned (well, besides other stuff), about coffee/caffeine was this: “The Darker the Bean, the Less the Caffeine.” Pretty much a general rule up here in Coffee Land (Portland).
To John Berardi – I do think you are stupid OR slick, and in general you seem right on the money compared to my own research and experience. BUT, BUT, BUT this stuff about caffeine is truly the worst news I’ve heard to those of us who love our Starbucks.
For years, I avoided caffeine completely, so I wouldn’t have cared if there had been bad news about it. Just like I don’t care about the bad news concerning alcohol and smoking, since I don’t drink or smoke. But when I moved to CA, and began the stress of my Ph.D. program, I somehow became fond of Starbucks. It’s depressing to think of giving up coffee altogether.
Besides, you already tell us that all the yummy foods we love are fattening. Haagen-Dazs, Krispy Kremes, Roy’s chocolate souffle, creme brulee – these are some of the true pleasures of life! Along with my world’s-best buttermilk pancakes, stuffed French toast, and other delicious recipes I salivate over when reading my subscription to Fine Cooking and Cook’s Illustrated magazines. (I imagine there aren’t too many people who subscribe to Fine Cooking and also read T-Mag faithfully!) So it’s bad enough to give up these delicious foods, but I know that you are right. Even just 5 years ago, I could all I wanted of them, but with a desk job and increasing ago – no longer! But frankly, the foods on your “Good” list are not nearly as appealing! I love salmon, but when I’m craving Haagen-Dazs it is just not the same.
But I am curious about coffee and am eager to learn more about the issue. I’ve been reading exercise and nutrition stuff for years and this is news.
I know you’re not a fan of fat burners (the ephedra-caffeine stack) because of their effects on insulin sensitivity. But, John, don’t they WORK? I mean, research studies, tons of real-world experience – people think they help burn fat! One possibility is that the effects on insulin sensitivity are small and overwhelmed by other effects on metabolism. (?) Or perhaps fat burners do work in the short term, but in the long term, effects on insulin sensitivity become more important. Perhaps you get the fat-burning effects immediately, but it takes time to see the effects of differences in insulin sensitivity one way or the other. We all know that fat burners work less well the longer you take them (even with “off” periods, in my opinion).