Drinking This Popular Beverage Daily Could Lower Your Risk of Diabetes by 25%
If a few mugs of coffee are an important part of your daily routine, it turns out they may do more than just give you a much-needed energy boost: They could reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes in the process.
The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee recently published a symposium report looking at the health connections between coffee and diabetes. Given that one in 10 Americans are diabetic — not to mention, one in three are prediabetic — and roughly two-thirds of Americans drink coffee every day, it makes sense that scientists wanted to see the overlap between the two.
To do this, they performed a meta-analyses of several studies that observed the ongoing coffee consumption and overall health of over 1.2 million participants. They found that moderate coffee consumption, which they measured as three to four cups of coffee per day, lowered the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 25 percent compared to those who drank two daily cups of coffee or fewer. However, while diabetes risk continues to go down if you drink more beyond those three to four cups, a number of other health problems could begin to surface, especially due to high caffeine consumption.
While they’re still unpacking their results, scientists believe that coffee’s unique mix of caffeine, caffeic acid, trigonelline, and cafestol all work together to lower and manage blood sugar levels and improve overall insulin sensitivity. Keeping blood sugar spikes at bay is key to avoiding a diabetes diagnosis. However, because researchers focused on regular caffeinated coffee and didn’t specify the effects of decaf options or instant coffee choices, they’re quick to point out that there’s still more work to be done.
Other studies have shown that coffee may also reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s, improve gut health, and increase your lifespan, so sip that morning cup o’ Joe with peace of mind knowing that it’s really benefitting your health!
