Coffee link to diabetes prevention

Friday April 25th, 2014

Increasing consumption of coffee may help cut risk of developing diabetes, researchers claimed last night.

An extra cup a day - or more - was linked to a reduced risk of developing the disease of 11%, according to a study involving more than 120,000 people.

And people who cut consumption of coffee faced an increased risk of 17%.

The findings only applied to caffeinated coffee, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

The research is published in the journal Diabetologia.

Over eight years of research, more than 7,000 people developed type 2 diabetes.

The researchers also found that those who drank the most coffee, three cups or more a day, had a 37% less risk of developing the disease than those who drank fewer than two cups a day.

The researchers do not explain how coffee might prevent diabetes - but it could help to dampen the appetite and prevent over-eating

Researcher Professor Frank Hu said: "These findings further demonstrate that, for most people, coffee may have health benefits.

"But coffee is only one of many factors that influence diabetes risk. More importantly, individuals should watch their weight and be physically active."

Changes in coffee intake and subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes: three large cohorts of US men and women. Diabetologia 24 April 2014; doi:10.1007/s00125-014-3235-7

Tags: Diabetes | Diet & Food | North America

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