Study: Coffee May Lower Diabetes Risk

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Study: Coffee May Lower Diabetes Risk

January 5, 2004 02:13:43 PM PST , Associated Press

Drinking more coffee may reduce the risk of developing the most

common form of diabetes, a study found.

Compared to non-coffee drinkers, men who drank more than six

eight-ounce cups of caffeinated coffee per day lowered their risk of

type 2 diabetes by about half, and women reduced their risk by nearly 30

percent, according to the study in Tuesday's issue of ls of Internal

Medicine.

Nevertheless, experts said more research is needed to establish

whether it really is the coffee - or something else about coffee

drinkers - that protects them.

" The evidence is quite strong that regular coffee is protective

against diabetes, " said one of the researchers, Dr. Hu of the

Harvard School of Public Health. " The question is whether we should

recommend coffee consumption as a strategy. I don't think we're there

yet. "

Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes, typically

shows up in middle-aged people. The disease is on the rise and is

striking more and more young people as Americans become fatter and less

active.

People with type 2 diabetes either do not make enough insulin or

their bodies don't use it properly. It leads to higher blood sugar

levels, which over time can cause blindness, heart disease, kidney

failure and nerve damage and can lead to amputations.

Caffeine has previously been found to reduce insulin sensitivity

and raise blood sugar - both bad news for the body. But the researchers

note that coffee, whether it is regular or decaffeinated, also contains

potassium, magnesium and antioxidants that might counteract those

negative effects and improve the body's response to insulin.

In the latest study, every two to four years over a period of 12

to 18 years, more than 126,000 people filled out questionnaires

reporting, among other things, their intake of coffee and tea.

Researchers adjusted the data for risk factors such as smoking, exercise

and obesity.

There was a more modest effect among decaf drinkers: a 25 percent

risk reduction for men and 15 percent for women. There was no

statistically significant link between diabetes and tea.

The results are in agreement with those from a 2000 study of

17,000 Dutch adults, which concluded that people who drank at least

seven cups of coffee a day were half as likely to develop type 2

diabetes than people who drank two cups or less.

Dr. iel of the American Diabetes Association expressed

concerns that such reports divert public attention toward illusory

quick-fixes and away from proven diabetes-stoppers: diet, weight loss

and exercise.

" While we're always happy when there's research looking at what

people can do to reduce their risk, " he said, " I'm often frustrated by

this type of research because the public is bombarded with these stories

and they don't know what they're supposed to do. "

The study's co-author stressed that no one should conclude that

coffee is a " magic bullet. "

" It's important to emphasize that by far the most important

preventions are maintaining a healthy weight and exercising, " said Dr.

JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's

Hospital.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites)

estimates that 18.2 million Americans, or more than 6 percent of the

population, have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for between 90

percent and 95 percent of the total.

On the Net:

ls of Internal Medicine: http://www.annals.org

American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org

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