A new study by researchers at Harvard found that drinking coffee, either regular or decaf, lowered the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Caffeinated and Decaffeinated Coffee Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and a Dose-Response Meta-analysis, Diabetes Care, February 2014
“CONCLUSIONS: Coffee consumption was inversely associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes in a dose-response manner. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee was associated with reduced diabetes risk.”
They found a dose-response relationship, meaning the more coffee one consumed, the lower one’s risk.
Compared with no coffee consumption, those who drank:
1 cup a day had an 8% reduction in diabetes (RR: 0.92)
2 cups a day had a 15% reduction in diabetes (RR: 0.85)
3 cups a day had a 21% reduction in diabetes (RR: 0.79)
4 cups a day had a 25% reduction in diabetes (RR: 0.75)
5 cups a day had a 29% reduction in diabetes (RR: 0.71)
6 cups a day had a 33% reduction in diabetes (RR: 0.67)
The study was a large meta-analysis. It included 28 studies, 1.1 million participants, with follow-up ranging from 10 months to 20 years.
Senior author Dr. Frank Hu speculated that chlorogenic acid, a phenolic compound and a major component of coffee, may contribute to the lower diabetes risk among coffee consumers:
“Chlorogenic acid has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar absorption,” he told Medscape Medical News.