Does drinking coffee while you are on a fast before a blood work really have any effect on the outcome of your blood test? If you are addicted to coffee, you may need to pay attention to this.
When your doctor instructs you to go on a fast prior to a blood test, you should endeavor to listen to your doctor and avoid drinking coffee for at least 8 hours.
Here’s the deal, when you drink coffee or any other, caffeinated drink or beverage prior to blood work, it distorts the accurate analysis of your blood specimen. This means that drinking coffee while fasting before a blood work will have an adverse effect on the accurate analysis of your blood sample. One reason for this is that the caffeine and other organic elements in the coffee can change the composition of your blood, and as a result, the outcome of your blood test will to a great extent become inaccurate and faulty. I’m very sure you do not want that to happen!
The truth is, it depends on the type of blood test you’re about to take. Blood tests like blood glucose test, liver function test, cholesterol test, or liver function test require you to go on a fast before the test. So, can you take coffee when fasting before a blood work? Most of the time, the answer is NO!
Are you a coffee lover and you’re worried about not having to drink your precious coffee? Do not worry; it will only be for a short time. Most blood work that requires fasting are done in the morning; this means that most of your fast will be done at night while you’re asleep.
Can You Drink Coffee Before Donating Blood?
Did you just donate blood after having coffee and you’re wondering if your blood recipients will have a caffeine buzz? If you think about it, there is no research work or study that has revealed that drinking coffee before a blood donation will affect the quality of your blood.
There are too many things to worry about in blood donation and coffee is not one of them. Just imagine a patient in the hospital going through a transfusion, they are probably unconscious, and even when they’re conscious, you think all that’s going on their mind include the coffee content in your blood?
Honestly, drinking coffee before a blood donation does not hurt anyone, and as a matter of fact, no one cares. However, this doesn’t mean you should go on a coffee drinking spree before a blood donation. As a diuretic, coffee has a way of getting you dehydrated, and when you donate blood, it means more liquid is going out of your body. Would you welcome the idea of passing out after your blood donation as a result of dehydration? Your guess is as good as mine.
Is It Ok To Drink Coffee While Fasting?
What do you think is the relationship between fasting and coffee. When you decide to go a fast does it also mean that you have to abstain from coffee? It is true that a lot of people fast for different reasons, it could be for health or fitness concerns, and it could also be for religious purposes.
Whatever may be your reason for embarking on a fast, you’ll be pleased to know that coffee does not break your fast. But wait, not so fast, when I say coffee, I’m not talking about the double mocha cappuccino instant mix or the coffee mixed with full cream milk. I’m talking about undiluted black coffee with nothing mixed with it.
As a matter of fact, it might interest you know that drinking black coffee while observing a fast can actually be beneficial and enhance the benefits you derive for fasting. Sounds good, right? Studies show that coffee has a very negligible amount of calory and won’t take your body out of ketosis when you’re fasting. Ketosis relates to a state where your body uses fat cells instead of sugar to survive during periods where there is no food in your system.
Technically, whether you drink coffee or not while fasting depends largely on the overall aim of embarking on a fast. It’s totally up to you to decide if you want coffee or not. But, if you are fasting for weight-related purposes, drinking black coffee does not in any way interfere with the goal of your fast. You still get all the benefits of fasting like improving the burning of fat, improving insulin sensitivity, cleaning your cells from toxins (autophagy), and so on.
Can You Drink Coffee Before Donating Plasma?
Are you a plasma donor or you’re thinking about donating plasma for the first time. Donating plasma is great as it is used to make very critical drugs that are necessary to save human life.
With that being said, if you’re wondering whether you could have a quick cup of coffee before donating plasma, here’s a piece of information that would help.
Essentially, plasma is made up of 90% water, so your body needs all the liquid it can get prior to donating plasma. This liquid, however, does not include coffee or any caffeinated drink for that matter. Why? You may be asking. For most parts, coffee is a diuretic. This means that it makes your body lose a lot of liquid by causing you to urinate more often. This has a lot of implication for your donation as your body needs more liquid to make the donation process run smoothly.
Furthermore, coffee has a way of hiding your veins, making it difficult for the lab technician to find it. This can make the plasma donation process a lengthy one. Should you drink coffee before donating plasma? It’s a NO-NO.
Keurig Coffee And Cholesterol
I’m very sure you’ve bumped into one of those write-ups that coffee raises cholesterol levels. This could be a worrying discovery if you’re a coffee lover. But, wait a minute, do not cut out coffee from your daily routine just yet.
I’ll be honest with you on this. Truth is unfiltered coffee increases cholesterol level, that’s the bad news, and if your cholesterol level is already on the high side, you might want to stop drinking unfiltered coffee.
The good news is, Keurig brewed coffee contains virtually no cholesterol. Yes, and that is true. Keurig brewed coffee contains filters that ensure that all the dangerous cholesterol compounds are trapped. Yes, and that is the job of the paper filters in your Keurig machine, they ensure that the cafestol (most powerful cholesterol stimulant in the human body) in the coffee bean does not get into your cup of coffee.
This is sadly not the case with French press coffee or Turkish coffee, which are much higher in cafestol. These kind of coffee are high in cafestol due to the method of preparation, which require boiling.
So, I’m sure you’re happy to continue drinking your traditional American coffee made with your single-serve Keurig machine. You’re not getting any of the bad stuff.
Does Coffee Affect Fasting Blood Sugar?
You’ll agree with me that the effect of coffee on sugar levels as it’s being presented by most media is worrisome.
A lot of people worry if coffee actually affects blood sugar, especially when they’re fasting. For most parts, coffee does not raise blood sugar levels in any significant manner, even if you are fasting.
This is true, in fact, coffee has been shown to actually reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. That being said, it is important to emphasize that every one’s body is different and would react to coffee differently. The caffeine present in coffee could trigger or impair insulin sensitivity in the blood sugar of different individuals.
Although there is still a need for more research to be carried out on the relationship between coffee and blood sugar, anecdotal evidence suggests that coffee does not significantly affect blood sugar levels in a negative way.
However, patients who already have type 2 diabetes should be concerned that consumption of caffeinated coffee could be dangerous to their health.
