The most recent in a series of studies examining the relationship between coffee consumption and diabetes indicates that, when it comes to health, coffee may have an edge over sugary juice. The report, published in the September 2006 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, added support to the evidence that people who consumed at least four cups of coffee each day reduced their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes, the result of the body’s no longer responding to insulin, means that sugar is no longer transported from the blood to other cells for energy. It is one of the main dangers of obesity.
And coffee, which in its natural state lacks the high sugar content of fruit juices, is not a factor in the development of diabetes. It also contains caffeine, which, by increasing metabolic rate, may help prevent weight gain.
But coffee has other characteristics which may account for the study’s findings. Two of its ingredients, magnesium and chlorogenic acid, have been shown to enhance insulin’s regulation of blood sugar levels.
The study by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health lent support to a Harvard study which tracked over 126,000 coffee drinkers for up to eighteen years. That study indicated that, while even a single cup of coffee could lead to a slight reduction in the risk of diabetes, coffee junkies who downed six or more cups a day reduced their risk by a remarkable 54% among men, and 30% among women.
Dr. Frank Hu, who headed the Harvard study, points to the high anti-oxidant amounts in coffee as a possible reason for its effectiveness in preventing diabetes. The Harvard study included coffee drinkers who consumed decaffeinated coffee, who also experienced a lower rate of diabetes, so caffeine alone does not account for the decrease.
No one is saying that, where the risk of diabetes is concerned, doubling your coffee intake at the mid-morning coffee break will compensate for doubling your doughnut intake.
But it will definitely give you an energy boost, and with the possible bonus of reduced diabetes risk, what’s to lose?
