Coffee and tea reduce diabetes risk

By Sheilah Downey

Coffee and tea drinkers can keep hoisting their beverages, as a new study suggests the two drinks help to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

An analysis of previous studies published in the Dec. 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who drank three to four cups of coffee a day had approximately 25 percent lower risk for developing diabetes mellitus than those who drank no coffee at all.

Those who drank more than three to four cups of tea had a one-fifth loer risk for diabetes than non-tea drinkers.

Diabetes research has grown at a feverish pace in the past few years with the grim statistic that almost 380 million Americans will be affected by type 2 diabetes by the year 2025, according to the article.

"Despite considerable research attention, the role of specific dietary and lifestyle factors remains uncertain, although obesity and physical inactivity have consistently been reported to raise the risk of diabetes mellitus," the authors wrote.

Dr. Rachel Huxley, of the George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, and colleagues looked at 18 studies involving 457,922 people. They assessed the association between coffee consumption and the diabetes risk published between 1966 and 2009.

Study authors found that for each additional cup of coffee consumed a day, a 7 percent reduction in the risk for diabetes was found. Those drinking more than three to four cups a day of decaffeinated coffee had about a one-third lower risk for diabetes.

"That the apparent protective effect of tea and coffee consumption appears to be independent of a number of potential confounding variables raises the possibility of direct biological effects," the authors wrote.

Compounds in coffee and tea, such as magnesium, antioxidants known as lignans or chlorogenic acids -- may be responsible for the beneficial effects on diabetes. Caffeine has been ruled out because of the positive effects noted in decaffeinated coffee drinkers.

Authors noted that if the beneficial active components in coffee and tea could be identified the benefits to those most at risk for diabetes would be substantial.

"It could be envisaged that we will advise our patients most at risk for diabetes mellitus to increase their consumption of tea and coffee in addition to increasing their levels of physical activity and weight loss," wrote the authors.