The research out of the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism at the University of Bath in the U.K. looked at the effects that a black cup of coffee had on 29 healthy men and women. The subjects were asked to undergo three different conditions in random order: one with a normal night’s sleep followed by a sugary drink first thing in the morning, one where they were woken for five minutes every hour and given the same sugary breakfast drink, and one where sleep was interrupted but the subjects were given a cup of coffee a half an hour before the sugary drink. By taking blood samples of the participants, the researchers found that those who had coffee before their sugary beverage had a 50 percent blood glucose spike compared to the other subjects. The researchers say that despite other studies that show specific health benefits of morning coffee, having a cup of joe before breakfast could make it harder for your body to tolerate sugar and carbohydrates commonly found in your morning meal, spiking insulin resistance. Over time, the study authors say, this could increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease. “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,” study co-author James Betts, PhD, co-director of the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise, and Metabolism at the University of Bath, said in a statement. “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.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Besides, drinking your coffee first thing in the morning may not be the best for getting the most mileage out of your sought after energy boost anyway. Experts say that the best way to pace things is to follow your body’s natural levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is released throughout the day based on your sleeping patterns. Assuming you wake up at 6:30 a.m, experts say that the best time of day to drink caffeinated coffee is between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. to avoid any counterproductive jitters, Inc. reports. When it comes to that vital morning caffeine fix, it appears that good things come to the early birds who wait. And for more on why your java may not be giving you a jolt, this is Why You Still Feel Tired After Drinking Coffee.
