• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Healthy Living / Blood Sugar Destabilized by Morning Coffee

Blood Sugar Destabilized by Morning Coffee

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • AM Coffee Destabilizes Blood Sugar
  • Lack of Sleep Enhances the Risks+−
    • Breaking the Morning Coffee Habit

woman drinking coffee in the morning before breakfast

If you’re a “don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee” person, you may wish to rethink that habit. Yet another study, this time from the British Journal of Nutrition, is warning coffee drinkers to enjoy that morning cup of Joe after breakfast.

And, while a protein-rich meal before AM coffee is the best scenario, researchers found that even a carb-heavy breakfast is better than none at all.

AM Coffee Destabilizes Blood Sugar

The problem is that drinking coffee first thing in the morning appears to have a negative effect on blood sugar for the rest of the day.

Lead researcher, Professor James Betts at the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism at the University of Bath describes the health risks this way:

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 feel need it. Knowing this can have important health benefits for us all. (1)

When the study participants drank coffee first thing upon arising, their blood glucose levels increased by about 50% after having a carb-heavy meal replacement beverage. Uncontrolled high blood glucose is a prime risk factor for the development of diabetes, heart disease, and strokes.

The good news is that when participants consumed the meal replacement first and then had coffee, the negative effect on glucose levels did not occur.

While the study only involved 29 participants, the research builds upon similar findings in previous studies. (2-4)

Lack of Sleep Enhances the Risks

Ironically, the sleep disruption that encourages negative effects on blood sugar control is exacerbated by the exact same habit…consuming coffee before breakfast!

Caffeine on an empty stomach in the morning short-circuits the body’s ability to produce adequate serotonin throughout the day.

This is the case even if collagen and healthy fats are added a la bulletproof coffee. Neither of these coffee enhancements contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which is the nutrient precursor for serotonin.

Inadequate serotonin, in turn, impairs melatonin production in the evening which encourages drowsiness and a good night’s sleep. (5)

In summary, coffee in the morning before you’ve had anything to eat does a double whammy on your health. It not only destabilizes your blood sugar but also has the potential to disrupt your sleep that night!

Breaking the Morning Coffee Habit

If you suspect that your serotonin levels are in the tank and you need a supplement to help get over the hump to better quality sleep, Mood Cure author Julia Ross recommends taking 500 mg of the amino acid L-tryptophan (vetted source) in the mid-afternoon and again before bed.

This regimen helps encourage natural melatonin production for a good night’s sleep. Waking refreshed makes it so much easier to change the habit of coffee first thing in the morning.

Once you’ve established the new routine of eating even a small breakfast before coffee, the groundwork is laid for the best scenario for stable and controlled blood sugar all day, every day.

Need a hot beverage first thing in the morning regardless? Try sipping this energizing coffee substitute or opt for a cup of roasted dandelion coffee instead.

large mug of coffee on a porch rail

References

(1) British Journal of Nutrition: Glucose control upon waking is unaffected by hourly sleep fragmentation during the night, but is impaired by morning caffeinated coffee
(2) An oral lipid challenge and acute intake of caffeinated coffee additively decrease glucose tolerance in healthy men
(3) Effects of coffee consumption on glucose metabolism: A systematic review of clinical trials
(4) Consumption of caffeinated coffee and a high carbohydrate meal affects postprandial metabolism of a subsequent oral glucose tolerance test in young, healthy males
(5) The Mood Cure by Julia Ross

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Healthy Living
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

Breast Cancer Screening has Minimal Benefits

NEW Ten Year Study Raises Red Flags for Cell Phones

pili nuts on a white plate

Pili Nuts. Most Keto Friendly Edible?

Potato Starch vs Potato Flour. Both Healthy and Good for the Gut?

Potato Starch vs Potato Flour. Both Healthy and Good for the Gut?

Monsanto Won’t Take GMO Free Chipotle News Sitting Down

sprouted bread containing seitan in the freezer of a healthfood store

5 Reasons to Avoid SEITAN. Groovy Name for a Not-So-Groovy Ingredient

Feeling Tired More Than You Should?

Get a free chapter of my book Get Your Fats Straight + my weekly newsletter and learn which fats to eat (and which to avoid) to reduce sugar cravings and improve energy significantly!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Comments (8)

  1. Nancy

    Nov 4, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    Now I’m off coffee and I am on Dandy Blend instead, but I’ve noticed that mentally I’m not as sharp as I was on coffee. My mind doesn’t want to stay focused and my thoughts are much more all over the place! I wonder if because I stopped coffee, I should also stop the L-Theanine. The reason I’m glad to be off it now, though, is in case during possible shortages to come, I’d have to go through the withdrawal during a more precarious time which would add to the misery. I wanted to get it over with now and it was not pleasant. The DHLP seemed to help, but your comment about your grandfather makes me wish I’d used up the coffee in my cupboard by consuming it after the meal, first. Anyway, thanks for your information and help.

    Reply
  2. Christine McCarthy

    Oct 29, 2020 at 8:25 pm

    I have tried this for the few days, I seem to be having a better sleep. How much time between breakfast and coffee would you suggest

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Nov 2, 2020 at 8:22 am

      My rule of thumb is about 30 minutes to an hour.

  3. suzanne

    Oct 21, 2020 at 2:56 pm

    I trade off with Bulletproof Original ground coffee (just one/half T., 1/2 T. butter, 2 t. MCT, collagen and collagelatin, 1 1/4c. water) and add the same extras to the DandyLion tea. I also eat most of the time an apple w/almond butter or a melon shortly after. I just love the taste of both (the foam!), something hot, a relaxing treat to my morning. If I have more coffee grounds, I get heartburn later.

    Reply
  4. Candace Sarges

    Oct 21, 2020 at 8:56 am

    Thank you for this information. Have your investigations mentioned anything about the same result regarding caffeinated black tea? So this trend of intermittent fasting and drinking coffee during the fast is problematic for all diabetics and pre-diabetics – many of whom are trying to lose weight and get their blood glucose under control. Not helpful.
    Thanks for taking an analytical look at this sharing your findings.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Oct 21, 2020 at 9:00 am

      Hi Candace, that is a good question. I haven’t seen any studies yet that look at black tea first thing in the morning before breakfast. My hunch is that it would be fine because tea is so much lower in caffeine and also tea contains the amino acid L-Theanine which significantly slows caffeine absorption.

  5. Nancy

    Oct 20, 2020 at 11:35 pm

    Thank you for this. I’m going off coffe tomorrow morning and I’m going to take DLPA to help prevent headache. That recipe looks good and I also ordered some Dandy Blend. Thank you for the encouragement.

    Reply
    • Sarah Pope MGA

      Oct 21, 2020 at 8:43 am

      Hi Nancy, another thought… my grandfather was a diabetic for almost 50 years (he smoked 3 packs of Camels per day and drank like a fish too until about his mid-50’s when he gave both of these habits up) and he still lived very healthily drinking coffee every morning. HOWEVER, he always drank it after a good breakfast of two eggs fried in butter and a piece of toast with butter. He lived to be 97 and died of old age. I think coffee can be consumed in moderation and if done very smartly … with timing after breakfast. However, I realize in some situations going cold turkey off of it is a good idea especially if there are weight issues involved and/or if blood sugar is out of control.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2023 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!