Regular or Decaf, Coffee May Ward Off Diabetes

Nov. 9, 2004 -- Whether =
you take it=20
with caffeine or without, drinking coffee regularly may help reduce the =
risk of=20
type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.

Researchers found women =
who drank more=20
than four cups of regular or decaffeinated coffee per day have =
significantly=20
lower levels of a component of insulin than non-coffee drinkers. Higher =
levels=20
are linked to the development of type 2 diabetes.

This insulin component is =
called=20
C-peptide. High levels of C-peptide indicate that the body is unable to =
use=20
insulin properly, a condition known as insulin resistance, which is a =
major risk=20
factor for type 2 diabetes.

The results of the study =
were presented=20
this week at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions=20
2004.

Coffee May Fight=20
Diabetes

Previous studies have =
linked drinking=20
coffee to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes as well as other health =
benefits. But=20
researchers aren't sure how coffee lowers these risks.

In this study, =
researchers looked at=20
the relationship between women's coffee-drinking habits and the level of =

C-peptide in the blood. Using the records of more than 2,000 women who=20
participated in the Nurses' Health Study, researchers compared how much =
regular=20
or decaffeinated coffee the women said they drank from 1984-1990 and the =
level=20
of C-peptide in blood samples taken in 1990.

They found that the more =
coffee the=20
women drank, the lower the level of C-peptide. Women who drank more than =
four=20
cups of regular or decaffeinated coffee had C-peptide levels that were =
13% and=20
14% lower, respectively, than women who never drank coffee.

This relationship between =
caffeinated=20
coffee and C-peptide levels was even stronger in obese and overweight =
women, who=20
had 22% and 18% lower levels of this hormone component, respectively, =
compared=20
to non-coffee drinkers.

Researchers say the =
results suggest=20
that caffeine as well as other elements in coffee may work separately as =
well as=20
together in lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes by preventing insulin=20
resistance. They say long-term studies are needed to investigate the =
effects of=20
both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee on insulin resistance and =
other risk=20
factors for diabetes.

SOURCES: =
American Heart=20
Association's Scientific Sessions 2004, New Orleans, Nov. 7-10, 2004. =
News=20
release, American Heart Association.

Re: Regular or Decaf, Coffee May Ward Off Diabetes -- Posted by MÄck on 12-21-04 13:10