That Biscuit With Morning Tea Is Dangerous for Your Health, Says London Doctor

Patients with insulin resistance often blame sugar or sweet snacks and drinks for their high blood-sugar levels. But do you know the real culprit? Sure, cakes, fizzy drinks, and sweets impact metabolic health. However, according to Dr Sumit Sharma, a London‑based doctor, biscuits may be the primary threat because they are often considered harmless and are routinely consumed with morning and evening tea.

"After working with hundreds of patients with insulin resistance, the most common snack I see quietly damaging metabolic health isn't cake or fizzy drinks. It's biscuits. Eaten daily. With tea. Feeling harmless," the expert added.

When your cells stop responding properly to insulin, the hormone that moves glucose from your blood into your cells for energy, your pancreas starts compensating by producing more insulin. The doctor explained that this can lead to brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, visceral fat accumulation, and eventually type 2 diabetes.

"Most people develop it silently over the years," he added.

After working with hundreds of patients with insulin resistance, the most common snack I see quietly damaging metabolic health the most isn't cake or fizzy drinks.

It's BISCUITS.

Eaten daily. With tea. Feeling harmless.
Here's why they're quietly driving insulin resistance: pic.twitter.com/cpMw00HSEo

— Dr Sumit Sharma (@dr_sumit_sharma) March 20, 2026

"Insulin resistance rarely comes from one big event. It develops through repeated small insults. Every spike in blood glucose demands an insulin response," he explained.

The more frequently your body experiences glucose spikes, the more chronically elevated insulin becomes. "Chronically elevated insulin drives insulin resistance," added Dr Sumit Sharma.

What Is Insulin Resistance

When your cells stop responding properly to insulin, the hormone that moves glucose from your blood into your cells for energy, your pancreas starts compensating by producing more of it. He explained that most biscuits are made of sugar, refined wheat flour, and vegetable oils, all of which negatively impact metabolism.

"Most people develop it silently over the years," he added.

Over time this leads to:

• fatigue
• brain fog
• visceral fat
• weight gain
• eventually type 2 diabetes

Most people develop it silently for years.

— Dr Sumit Sharma (@dr_sumit_sharma) March 20, 2026

"Insulin resistance rarely comes from one big event. It comes from repeated small insults. Every spike in blood glucose demands an insulin response," he explained.

The more your body witnesse glucose spike, the more chronically elevated insulin becomes. "Chronically elevated insulin drives the insulin resistance," added Dr Sumit Sharma.

How Biscuits Affect Your Metabolic Health

The doctor didn't just post a blanket statement that biscuits affect metabolic health. He explained that most of these treats are made of sugar, refined wheat flour, and vegetable oil, which directly affect your health.

• Refined wheat flour (maida) digests rapidly
• Sugar immediately releases glucose
• Refined vegetable oils are pro-inflammatory
• Zero fibre means no barrier against the insulin spike
• Zero protein means nothing to slow down the absorption of glucose

"In metabolic terms, a biscuit is essentially a blood-glucose delivery service. The glycaemic impact surprises most people. A plain digestive biscuit has a glycaemic response similar to white bread," explained Dr Sumit Sharma.

Now look at what's in a standard biscuit:

• Refined white flour - digests rapidly
• Sugar - immediate glucose release
• Zero fibre - nothing to blunt the spike
• Zero protein - nothing to slow absorption
• Refined vegetable oils - pro-inflammatory

— Dr Sumit Sharma (@dr_sumit_sharma) March 20, 2026

The expert further explained that if you have two biscuits with tea, it will result in an insulin surge, followed by a glucose crash 60-90 minutes later and a glucose spike within 20-30 minutes.

This will make you feel hungry again, and you will reach for another biscuit and get stuck in an infinite loop. The expert mentioned that a biscuit is not the problem, but it creates a pattern - three biscuits mid-morning, two with the afternoon tea, and a few after dinner.

"Ultra-processed foods like biscuits add another layer. They're engineered to override satiety signals. The combination of fat, sugar, and salt stimulates dopamine," Dr Sumit Sharma further explained.

Hence, you don't stop at one biscuit, but you eat three or four. They aren't just your personal weakness; they are designed to encourage overconsumption and gradually damage metabolic health.

He suggested checking the following markers:

• HOMA-IR - optimal <1.5
• HbA1c - optimal 4.6-5.2%
• hsCRP - optimal <1 mg/L
• Fasting insulin - optimal 2-6 mIU/L
• Triglyceride: HDL ratio - optimal <1.5

How To Improve Metabolic Health And Insulin Resistance

Elevated fasting insulin is the first signal years before HbA1c rises. This is where you can tweak your eating habits and restructure snacking. 

Give up biscuits for four weeks and replace them with 20-30g protein‑based snacks, such as boiled eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, cheese, or almonds.

Elevated fasting insulin is often the first signal years before HbA1c rises.

How to restructure snacking:

• Remove biscuit snacking for 4 weeks
• Replace with 20–30g protein snacks

— Dr Sumit Sharma (@dr_sumit_sharma) March 20, 2026

• In the first week, afternoon energy crashes reduce
• By weeks three to four, hunger between meals decreases
• By weeks six to eight, fasting insulin improves
• By weeks 10 to 12, measurable metabolic improvements appear

He added that if hunger allows, you should eliminate snacking altogether. "Longer gaps between meals help insulin levels fall and improve sensitivity," he added.

According to the expert, if you have a sweet tooth, go for one or two squares of 85% dark chocolate or berries with Greek yoghurt. A small change can make a significant difference in your metabolic health.

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