Drinking three to four cups of
coffee per day may help to prevent type 2 diabetes according to research
highlighted in a session report published by the Institute for Scientific
Information on Coffee (ISIC), a not-for-profit organisation devoted to the
study and disclosure of science related to coffee and health.
Recent scientific evidence has
consistently linked regular, moderate coffee consumption with a possible
reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. An update of this research and key
findings presented during a session at the 2012 World Congress on Prevention of
Diabetes and Its Complications (WCPD) is summarised in the report.
The report outlines the epidemiological evidence linking
coffee consumption to diabetes
prevention, highlighting research that shows three to four cups of coffee
per day is associated with an approximate 25 per cent lower risk of developing
type 2 diabetes, compared to consuming none or less than two cups per day1.
Another study also found an inverse dose dependent response effect with each
additional cup of coffee reducing the relative risk by 7-8 per cent.
Whilst these epidemiological studies suggest
an association between moderate coffee consumption and reduced risk of
developing diabetes, they are unable to infer a causal effect. As such, clinical intervention trails
are required to study the effect in a controlled setting. One prospective
randomized controlled trial3, tested glucose and insulin after an oral glucose tolerance
test with 12g decaffeinated
coffee, 1g chlorogenic acid, 500 mg trigonelline, or placebo. This study
demonstrated that chlorogenic acid, and trigonelline reduced early glucose and
insulin responses, and contribute to the putative beneficial effect of
coffee.
The report notes that the
association between coffee consumption a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes could be
seen as counter intuitive, as drinking coffee is often linked to unhealthier
habits, such as smoking and low levels of physical activity. Furthermore,
studies have illustrated that moderate coffee consumption is not associated
with an increased risk of hypertension, stroke or coronary heart disease.
Research with patients with CVD has also shown that moderate coffee consumption
is inversely associated with risk of heart failure, with a J-shaped
relationship.
Finally, the report puts forward
some of the key mechanistic theories that underlie the possible relationship
between coffee
consumption and the reduced risk of diabetes. These included the
'Energy Expenditure Hypothesis', which suggests that the caffeine in coffee
stimulates metabolism and increases energy expenditure and the 'Carbohydrate
Metabolic Hypothesis', whereby it is thought that coffee components play a key
role by influencing the glucose balance within the body. There is also a subset
of theories that suggest coffee contains components that may improve insulin
sensitivity though mechanisms such as modulating inflammatory pathways,
mediating the oxidative stress of cells, hormonal effects or by reducing iron
stores.
Dr. Pilar Riobó Serván, Associate
Chief of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Jiménez Díaz-Capio Hospital of Madrid and
a speaker at the WCPD session concludes the report, commenting: "A
dose-dependent inverse association between coffee drinking and total mortality
has been demonstrated in general population and it persists among diabetics.
Although more research on the effect of coffee in health is yet needed, current
information suggests that coffee is not as bad as previously considered!"
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