Coffee in the Development of High Blood Sugar

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Requirements and Methodology
Results
Discussion
References

Introduction

Diabetes is a disorder resulting from high levels of glucose in the blood plasma. The normal blood glucose level in the blood plasma is between 65 – 120 mg/dl of blood. However in cases of diabetes, the glucose levels in the blood plasma may rise up to 350 mg/dl. These high levels of glucose in the blood may even lead to the death of the victim. Diabetes is caused by impaired secretions of both glucagon and insulin by the islets of Langerhans. The human, body under normal circumstances, requires only a specific amount of glucose. The excess glucose assimilated from the food taken by an individual is converted and stored in the form of glycogen in the liver. This stored glycogen is usually broken down into glucose through a process called glycogenolysis when the body requires extra energy or during low levels of blood sugar, for example, during fasting. This process is stimulated by a peptide hormone, glucagon. More than normal levels of blood sugar would upset the equilibrium that exists in the body system. Insulin, also produced in the islets of Langerhans, stimulates the conversion of glucose into glycogen. The resulting glycogen is stored as an energy reserve in the liver (Reece & Campbell, 2002).

Although these two hormones are vital in the regulation of blood sugar levels, their overproduction would definitely lead to complications in the body. The maintenance of the delicate balance between insulin and glucagon levels is performed by the endocrine pancreas. Failure to maintain this balance would lead to either hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia does not usually lead to disease. However, hyperglycemia usually leadS to diseases such as diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is usually of two main types; type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes mellitus or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus results from the failure of the islets of the Langerhans to produce enough insulin. Deficient levels of insulin in the body lead to high glucose levels since insulin converts glucose into glycogen. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes mellitus results from the failure of the body cells to recognize the secreted insulin. The net effect of this condition is high glucose levels in the blood plasma of the victim. The deficient production of insulin may result from genetic disorders, lifestyle diseases and medical conditions such as obesity and hypertension (Kumar, 2005). The principal aim of this study was to investigate the effect of coffee in the development of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) in laboratory mice with a mutation that makes them diabetic.

Requirements and Methodology

For this study, a group of eleven mice was given water and another group of ten mice was supplied with diluted black coffee having coffee to water ratio of 1:1. They were given these fluids as drinking fluids for five weeks. However, the composition of the diets and the living conditions of these two groups of mice were similar for the five weeks of the investigation. The group of eleven mice that was supplied with water was used as the control group. On the other hand, the group of ten mice supplied with black coffee was the treatment group. A control group in a scientific investigation usually refers to the group set aside and to which the independent variable whose effect is under investigation is not administered. Thus the group which was not supplied with the black coffee, the independent variable, was the control group. The treatment group is always put under the influence of the independent variable and their reaction analyzed. However, both groups, like in this study, must have similarities in all of their aspects. The monitoring of the glucose levels of the two groups of mice was done every week. The data on the blood glucose concentration in both groups were recorded, effectively analyzed, the necessary comparisons were carried out and conclusions are drawn.

Results

Since the researchers followed a scientific method in their experiment, they managed to get results. This is because a scientific method uses a step-by-step procedure to show how an investigation is done. In this study, the researchers stated their specimens and gave out their procedure and finally the result of the investigation which are in line with the hypothesis. Even though both groups were bound to have high levels of glucose in the blood plasma due to their mutation, the glucose levels in the treatment group were found to have decreased by up to 30% compared with that in the control group. The glucose levels in the control group were as high as expected.

Discussion

The data obtained from this investigation gives credence to the hypothesis that coffee prevented the development of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) in laboratory mice with a mutation that makes them become diabetic. This was noted in the 30% decrease in the glucose levels in the blood plasma of the group of laboratory mice supplied with black coffee. Thus the study, though conducted on laboratory animals, showed that coffee consumption had a reverse role in raising the levels of glucose in the blood. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is usually caused by the insensitivity of the body cells to insulin. Thus excess glucose would not be converted and stored in the liver as glycogen. However this study showed that the caffeine in the coffee consumed usually increases the body cells’ sensitivity towards insulin (American Chemical Society, 2010). The net effect of this is that the excess glucose in the body would be converted into glycogen leading to low levels of glucose in the blood. Generally, the risk of diabetes is high in cases where there are high levels of saturated fats and adipose tissues deposits in the body. However the caffeine in the coffee initiates various physiological processes that lead to the alteration of the structure of fatty liver and adipocytokines. This leads to reduced chances of suffering from diabetes mellitus (Yamauchi, 2010).

However, the accuracy of the results obtained from this study might be biased since many other factors affect the levels of blood glucose. Such factors include; ambient temperature, age of the individuals, the activity of the individual, health condition, and gender of the individual. For example, during low temperatures, more glucose would be recorded in the blood plasma since more energy is required in the form of heat. This energy is provided by glucose. In conclusion, it is agreeable that a scientific method can be traced in this investigation since there is a laid down protocol that was followed. Moreover the study was conducted using both control and experimental groups to help in drawing credible conclusions. In addition to this, the data collected also supported the hypothesis that either coffee did or did not prevent the development of high blood sugar levels in laboratory mice.

References

American Chemical Society (2010). New evidence that drinking coffee may reduce the risk of diabetes. Science Daily. Web.

Kumar et al. (2005). Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease (7^th ed.). Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders.

Reece, J., & Campbell, N. (2002). Biology. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings.

Yamauchi et al. (2010). Coffee and caffeine ameliorate hyperglycemia, fatty liver, and inflammatory adipocytokine expression in spontaneously diabetic KK-Ay mice. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 58 (9), 5597-5603.

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Coffee in the Development of High Blood Sugar

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