Coffee May Reduce Risk of Type-2 Diabetes

A large-scale, long-term study of Finnish men and women indicates higher coffee consumption can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers, whose study appears in the March 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, can't explain the association, but they do have some theories.

"There are many potential effects, since coffee has very many compounds, including magnesium, caffeine, chlorogenic acid, etc.," says study author Dr. Jaakko Tuomilehto, of the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki. "Maybe chlorogenic acid is the most potent, but it is possible that the presence of several active agents at the same time will enhance the effect of coffee on the risk of type 2 diabetes."

Finnish people drink more coffee per capita than any other nationality, the study’s authors point out. Women who drank three to four cups of coffee per day had a 29 percent reduced risk of diabetes. Those who drank at least 10 cups a day had a 79 percent reduced risk. Men who drank three to four cups of coffee a day had a 27 percent lower risk while those who drank at least 10 cups a day had a 55 percent lower risk.

However anyone seeking to go on a coffee binge to reduce their risk of diabetes would do well to remember that coffee consumption at such high levels may prove to have negative side effects.

(From an original article by Amanda Gardner, HealthDay reporter)