Drinking as little as one cup of coffee daily reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 60 percent compared to people who never drink coffee.
Published in the November 2006 issue of Diabetes Care, the study revealed that coffee offered protection at the same, significant levels for those beginning the study with high fasting glucose levels, indicating pre-existing glucose intolerance, as it did for those with normal levels.
In fact, those with elevated glucose levels showed a lower risk of developing diabetes than those starting out with normal glucose tolerance.
In another study by University of Minnesota in 1997, the experts suspected that compounds and mineral in coffee beans may improve the sensitivity of insulin receptors and help the body process bloods sugar more efficiently.
Please note that these studies pertain to preventing diabetes. Unfortunately most people consume their coffee loaded with sugar and cream that are likely to raise blood sugar as well.
Uncovering the first evidence that coffee also reduces diabetes risk among pre-diabetics, the risk level came in even lower, at 0.31, for the subgroup with impaired glucose. That means pre-diabetics reduced their risk of developing the disease by almost 70%.
Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States. Diabetics are also at higher risk for heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, extremity amputations and other chronic conditions.
For diabetics
However there’s a caffeine caution: caffeinated beverages can spike blood sugar for thirty minutes after consuming them, so some experts suggest to switching to decaf coffee if you have diabetes, of drinking tea which has considerably less caffeine than coffee.
In research findings published in mid 2004 in Diabetes Care researchers at the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina found that caffeine interferes with the blood sugar control: they found a strong correlation between caffeine intake at mealtime and increased glucose and insulin levels among people with type 2 diabetes.
Coffee consumption reduced the risk of diabetes
