Type-2 diabetics who are coffee drinkers may find it tougher to control their blood sugar, a new study released Wednesday said.(File Photo)

Type-2 diabetics who are coffee drinkers may find it tougher to control their blood sugar, a new study released Wednesday said.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham studied the effects of caffeine in 10 patients with Type-2 diabetes by implanting small glucose detection devices under their abdominal skin to track the rise and fall of patients' blood sugar levels.

The participants were given four tablets containing caffeine equivalent to four cups of coffee and identical placebo pills on various days. The study found their daily blood sugar levels went up by 8 percent when they took tablets containing caffeine. It rose even higher, up to 26 percent after they had dinner.

"Caffeine appears to disrupt glucose metabolism in a way that could be harmful to people with Type-2 diabetes," said James Lane who led the study.

"This suggests that people with diabetes might want to avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages," Lane said.

Caffeine is found in coffee, tea and many soft drinks. However, this finding is somewhat confusing, as previous study indicated that people who drank coffee had a reduced risk of Type-2 diabetes, and those who drank the most coffee had the lowest risk.

U.S. researchers reported last Monday that too much caffeine during pregnancy raises the risk for miscarriage. And another study showed that caffeine may lower a woman's chances of developing ovarian cancer.

(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2008)