Caffeine ingestion elevates plasma insulin response in humans during an oral glucose tolerance test

We tested the hypothesis that caffeine ingestion results in an exaggerated response in blood glucose and (or) insulin during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Young, fit adult males (n = 18) underwent 2 OGTT. The subjects ingested caffeine (5 mg/kg) or placebo (double blind) and 1 h later ingested 75 g of dextrose. There were no differences between the fasted levels of serum insulin, C peptide, blood glucose, or lactate and there were no differences within or between trials in these measures prior to the OGTT. Following the OGTT, all of these parameters increased (P < or = 0.05) for the duration of the OGTT. Caffeine ingestion resulted in an increase (P < or = 0.05) in serum fatty acids, glycerol, and plasma epinephrine prior to the OGTT. During the OGTT, these parameters decreased to match those of the placebo trial. In the caffeine trial the serum insulin and C peptide concentrations were significantly greater (P < or = 0.001) than for placebo for the last 90 min of the OGTT and the area under the curve (AUC) for both measures were 60 and 37% greater (P < or = 0.001), respectively. This prolonged, increased elevation in insulin did not result in a lower blood glucose level; in fact, the AUC for blood glucose was 24% greater (P = 0.20) in the caffeine treatment group. The data support our hypothesis that caffeine ingestion results in a greater increase in insulin concentration during an OGTT. This, together with a trend towards a greater rather than a more modest response in blood glucose, suggests that caffeine ingestion may have resulted in insulin resistance.