Sit down and have a brew, it could save you from diabetes

Monday 21st December 2009

When it comes to drinking tea and coffee, both caffeinated and decaffeinated, there are always mixed messages when it comes to how much we should or shouldn’t drink. However, researchers may have found that drinking three or four cups a day could dramatically reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Additionally, they mark the same effect within people who drink decaffeinated tea or coffee.

Unfortunately, for those who enjoy a caffeine boost, whilst three or four cups of coffee can decrease the risk of diabetes, it is in fact decaffeinated coffee that offers the best results. In the study which was published by Archives of Internal Medicine, people who were drinking three or four cups a day were decreasing their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 25%. With nearly 95% of the people in the UK who have diabetes suffering from type 2 of the disease, these results could offer a helping hand to the worry that by 2025, type 2 diabetes will have increased internationally by 65%. This means that 380 million people could be suffering from the sometimes debilitating disease.

Over 450,000 people were used in this recent study, which took age, weight and lifestyle considerations into account. People who drank regular cups of coffee were compared to those who do not drink either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee and were found 36% less likely to develop the disease. Whereas, those who drank tea in comparison to those who do not were only 18% less likely to develop the disease. It is thought that the consumption of tea and coffee benefit the body due to its effect on glucose. As we know diabetes has a severe effect on the level of glucose in our blood, which can damage blood vessels and even lead to kidney damage and a high risk of strokes and heart attacks. Therefore, something within tea and coffee is evidently beneficial to the maintenance of our glucose levels and researchers are not sure what this is as of yet, but they do note that it is obviously not caffeine.

This news has been issued with caution from Dr. King from the Diabetes UK charity, as she warns that we do not know the full extent of the research yet. Whilst the results may appear to show that this vast consumption of tea and coffee could help reduce risks of type 2 diabetes, we do not know any side-effects that this could also be having on our body. Equally, when researchers describe “tea” they leave it undefined, so it is not yet clear whether this includes all other forms of tea, e.g. green tea. However, researchers are positive that this recent discovery could provide help in trying to find more effective measures to maintain our glucose levels and help prevent diabetes.

« Latest UK Health & Medical News More Diabetes News »