As you gulp your cup of java and then chow down on some breakfast cereal, you may wish to consider new research looking at the possible effects when these two morning favourites are combined.
Drinking caffeinated coffee an hour before eating a bowl of cereal can significantly affect the body’s blood-sugar response, according to the small study conducted at the University of Guelph in Ontario.
Terry Graham, chair of the department of human health and nutritional sciences, says this is of no consequence to healthy individuals. In fact, he notes that epidemiological studies have shown quite conclusively that prolonged decades of heavy coffee drinking decrease the risk for Type 2 diabetes.
But, he said, the study’s findings might have implications for those who are diabetic or at risk of diabetes.
“If you were a Type 2 diabetic or thought you were at risk, why wouldn’t you drink decaf? Because then you’ve got all the benefits of the coffee, and not the negative of caffeine,” Graham said.
The research paper, published online last week by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, calls for more research in the area. There were only a small number of participants and they were all healthy men.
