Some people do, in fact, spike from coffee, Khurt, not from what they add. Also some people might think they are spiking from coffee when, as mentioned above it is their DP kicking in in the morning.
I don't have any problems with coffee. I used to bolus for the milk but then I switched to unsweetened almond milk so don't have to bolus at all. The only problem is when I get a cappuccino out and need to remember to bolus for the milk.
The educator I was dealing with from Roche when I got my pump said coffee comes from beans and all beans have carbs. May or may not be true but it makes sense.
I too drink coffee all day (They'll have to pry it from me cold, dead hands), but I don't get spikes unless I add a sugary creamer. Powdered creamer plus sweet and low is usually the route I take, and I don't see more than a 15 or 20 point uptick. Now that you all have brought it up, I'm gonna watch it like a a hawk next time just to be sure!
What we call a coffee bean is actually the seed of a cherry-like fruit. Brewed coffee has little or no fiber or carbs.
You might want to read the ingredients on the "powdered creamer", Rudy. All the ones I've seen have sugar as the first ingredient. I really annoy people in places like airplanes when I tell them I just want cream or even milk, not the powdered stuff.
Will do! Gonna check it first thing tomorrow morning!
Well, I did a multiwave bolus for coffee today and my BG shot up 60 pts so it didn't work.
Dang, that's rough. I don't know what I'd do without coffee!
Are you sure the rise isn't from DP? In other words, your blood sugar goes up in the morning and sometimes continues to rise until you eat some food. If that is the case, you might do better by upping your basal dose for the period two hours before the rise begins. That way by the time you have your coffee you can bolus more easily for it. (It do seems like some people have a spike from the caffeine and some don't). But expecting that bolus to do double duty for DP AND the caffeine is expecting too much!
agree, terry. i too need to bolus for coffee, i just drink Sbucks regular drip - 1/2 decaf, with a splash of light cream. Although now, as stated by Terry, I tend to think it's the time of day, always the morning, that is causing the huge spike and rise in my blood sugars. To test, try drinking same coffee later in day or evening (except I'd be up all night from the caffeine) and see if it spikes you.
Have you all experimented with eating different things, quantities, with the coffee? Non carb stuff.
I haven't done any rigorous testing of this myself, but I have noticed a definite empty vs. not-empty stomach effect. Basically, if all I have is coffee on the way out the door (you know those days ;-)) I see much more action on my BG.
If I have an egg and a few pieces of bacon/sausage/etc., not as bad. Especially if I eat at least 30 minutes before the coffee.
This is really hard for me, though... Coffee is such a big part of waking up in my routine, so it's what I usually have first, unless my BG's too high in the morning to comfortably handle the 30-40 pts I'm gonna get from coffee-first.
In that case, I correct, eat, check, and then quaff.
That just cries out for a caf/decaf experiment...
BG levels are very subject to what the liver's up to.
An uncooperative liver can make exogenous insulin completely ineffective. 'Been there. It's quite remarkable when you can hit yourself with enough insulin to normally correct 70 mg/dl, be in supposedly fasting mode (i.e. haven't eaten for many, many hours), and yet 3 hours later BG hasn't budged.
It's because the liver is stuck in a vicious circle, recycling glucose into and out of glycogen complexes. While this goes on, the insulin is also metabolized and removed by the liver, but BG doesn't change.
Might make sense, but it's wrong.
Also, it's simplistic to the point of being nearly useless. Okay, so let's stipulate for the sake of argument, that all beans have carbs.
The beverage coffee is not a coffee bean. Most of the substance of the bean is not there. It's certainly possible, then, that what carbs may be present are still with the other material that's not in the cup of coffee, right?
Pinto beans have a ton of starch. Yet, I could make something edible out of the skin of the bean, and it would be in any practical sense (even for a diabetic) carb-free.
Just because something has carbs doesn't mean that anything made or extracted from it will too.
Shame on that educator for spreading stuff like this!
I very rarely eat breakfast, maybe almonds and berries but I love my morning coffee. If I'm over 80 in the am I bolus 1 to 2 units for coffee, the amount depends on when and what my workout is. I don't drink anything else with caffeine all day, if I did it would play havoc with my numbers.
as other's stated, i too dink diet pepsi with caffeine in the afternoon, it does nothing to my BG's. have you tried not drinking coffee in the am (berries and almonds can also raise BG's), it could just be the time of day, the dreaded DP and rising blood sugars and have nothing to do with the 'coffee'.
You mentioned you drink it with two packs of Splenda. That's probably the cause. Unfortunately most powdered sweeteners use dextrose as a bulking agent. They can legally claim to be "sugar free" as dextrose is not sucrose (regular table sugar), but they're actually not sugar free and will send a diabetic sky high.
Try drinking it without the splenda and see what happens. I bet you don't see close to the same rise, if at all. If you need a sweetener that has zero effect on blood sugar, try Stevia in tablet or liquid form. Sadly, the powder also uses dextrose.
Thanks so much for the suggestions. If its just berries and almonds and water no need to bolus. If I eat nothing I'm fine, coffee gets me every time (black no sweetner). I have never had DP. I Experimented with afternoon coffee and same thing. I have never been a pop, or tea drinker so no experience with those. This is one of those easy things to deal with.
Dawn
I, too, have seen this. I drink my coffee with half/half–no sugar, no sweetener of any kind. Interestingly, I’ve noticed it more during periods of higher anxiety/higher coffee intake. I don’t notice my blood sugar spiking from my coffee when things are quieter, but after a couple months of higher coffee intake, it starts making me spike again. It’s not a day-to-day difference, but a build up. That’s my experience anyway. I’m so glad to read that many of you have this issue also.
Seriously? Coffee can make your BG spike? I mean I never even really paid attention to that, because every book or endo I have visited lists coffee as one of the Free Foods/Drinks I can have without affecting BG. Can anyone explain why is coffee at all affecting blood glucose? I mean unless you consume it with sugar it certainly is carb free and has no calories. I am talking about regular Black cofee without sugar or with reasonable amount of sweetener.