Drinking coffee before breakfast could be bad for you, according to a new report. Researchers are warning that a strong black coffee after a bad night of sleep could impair control of blood sugar levels.
But experts say the best way to avoid the problem is to eat first - and then drink coffee if you feel you still need it. Researchers from the University of Bath examined the effect of broken sleep and morning coffee across a range of metabolic markets, the Express reports.
Their work, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, revealed that one night of poor sleep had a limited impact on metabolism, but drinking coffee could have a negative effect on blood glucose control. Professor James Betts, co-director of the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism at the University of Bath, said: "We know that nearly half of us will wake in the morning and, before doing anything else, drink coffee - intuitively the more tired we feel, the stronger the coffee.
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"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 need it. Knowing this can have important health benefits for us all."
Harry Smith, who led the study, added: "Individuals should try to balance the potential stimulating benefits of caffeinated coffee in the morning with the potential for higher blood glucose levels and it may be better to consume coffee following breakfast rather than before."
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