Cup of Java Cuts Diabetes Risk

by Diane Lofshult

Coffee drinkers know that a little bit of caffeine can go a long way in getting their days off to a bright start. But can a cup of Joe also give habitual drinkers a better shot at avoiding type 2 diabetes?

Could be, say the authors of a study that appeared in the June 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers theorized that coffee might reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes because of the minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants in the brew. To test their theory, the scientists examined the association among total, caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee intake and the development of type 2 diabetes in more than 28,000 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Iowa Women’s Health Study.

The subjects’ coffee intake was categorized as being 0; less than 1; 1–3; 4–5; or 6 or more cups per day. Compared with women who reported drinking 0 cups of coffee per day, those who consumed 6 or more cups daily had a 22% lower rate of diabetes. This association appeared to be explained largely by the intake of decaffeinated coffee rather than regular coffee.

The scientists determined that “coffee intake, especially decaffeinated, was inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in this cohort of postmenopausal women.”