Caffeine Causing Diabetes?

[G2099]

Diabetes is a disease condition distinguished by an inability to control blood-sugar levels, due to insufficient production of or heightened resistance to the hormone insulin. Interestingly, diabetes researchers induce diabetes in laboratory animals by feeding them small doses of a chemical called alloxan. Alloxan poisons insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, killing those cells and thus creating the conditions of diabetes.

Knowing this, imagine the surprise of Dr. Alfred Nickel, an oral surgeon with degrees in biochemistry and pharmacology, who discovered in the scientific literature that alloxan is produced in the body from caffeine.

Dr. Nickel theorized that caffeine could be a significant cause of diabetes in humans. People who consume a lot of caffeine will produce a lot of alloxan; this could cause diabetes or make existing diabetes worse.

http://www.beyondhealth.com/caffeine-diabetes.htm

[Fridays Child]

1. Interesting...

Maybe not peer-reviewed but worth thinking about, anyway.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

2. I Think The Good Ole Doc Should Use His Time More Wisely.

If caffeine intake was a significant cause of diabetes, 80% of the adult american population would be diabetic: Period.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

3. Yeah

And how does that explain the huge increase in Type 2 diabetes in children? I don't see too many 8 year olds sucking down triple espressos.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. They spend too much time sucking down Happy Meals

the real cause of type 2 diabetes in kids.

[On the Road]

11. How Does It Expalin Childhood Diabetes?

Coca-cola. Or practically any other soft drink nowdays. An 8-ounce cup of coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine. A 12-ounce soft drink has about 65. And a lot of kids drink soda like water.

I actually don't view caffeine as a health risk, but this could change things if he's right. To me, one of the more convincing types of arguments for a health risk is to find a substance with proven properties popping up in a new place. The question is really how much alloxan is produced by caffeince, and how much of it is needed to induce diabetes.

[Lex]

4. I thought peer-reviewed studies had recently shown the opposite

that caffeine reduced the incidence of Type II diabetes somewhat.

It was in JAMA. Here's one story I found:

http://www.emaxhealth.com/16/6537.html

[Lithos]

6. The original article was from 2000

When there was indications that the opposite might be true for those who didn't drink coffee (other caffeine). However, JAMA reflects the current research. Probably didn't have the necessary controls in the first few studies that they put in later.

L

[conflictgirl]

5. I think high fructose corn syrup is a far more likely culprit

It's one of the substances where consumption has dramatically increased in the same time period that diabetes has increased, and children as well as adults consume a lot of it. Caffeine is not a new substance, so I'm guessing it's not a terribly likely cause.

[Virginia Dare]

12. That and sodas, particularly diet sodas...n/t

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. The seeming conclusion is fraudulent and illogical

There are two basic types of diabetes.

Type I diabetes, also called "childhood onset" diabetes, is caused by damage to the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, which results in the reduced or absent production of insulin. It is generally diagnosed young, before the age of 20. Treatment requires the injection of insulin, either manually or by means of an insulin pump. In the United States, only about 5% of all diabetics have Type I.

Type II diabetes, also called "adult onset" diabetes and "insulin resistance" diabetes, is cause by cells becoming resistant to the insulin the body is producing in normal amounts. It is typically diagnosed latter in life, after the age of 50 or so, although younger and younger people are being diagnosed with Type II diabetes. In most cases, the onset of Type II is directly related to the combination of long-term obesity and a sedentary lifestyle (there are other known causes for Type II, but they are relatively rare.) Treatment starts with changes in diet, increased physical activity and weight loss, and can extend to several types of drugs which either stimulate insulin production or decrease insulin resistance. In the United States, about 95% of all diabetics have Type II.

It is possible to have both Type I and Type II diabetes; that can occur in older people with Type II who suffer damage to the pancreas as a result of illness, injury or age related deterioration.

So while there might be a connection between caffein and damage to the pancreas, there is no way that caffeine can be blamed on the diabetes epidemic in the United States, which seems to be what the article is trying to imply. Simply put, 95% of diabetics have no problem producing insulin; our problem (yes, I have Type II) is something else entirely. It is now well documented that insulin resistance is brought about by the combination of long-term obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

8. Thanks for posting, something to think about. nt.

[pitohui]

9. asking not telling but

i thought research had shown that both small amounts of caffeine and a small amount of alcohol were protective aga. diabetes