Drinking Coffee May Lower Inflammation and Diabetes Risk

The research was led by Professor Demosthenes Panagiotakos of the Harokopio University in Athens, Greece. A 2012 study found that people who drank four or more cups of coffee per day were fifty percent less likely to develop diabetes, and the risk decreased by almost seven percent with each cup.

Researchers noted that the reason for a reduction in the risk for type 2 diabetes could be the role coffee plays in reducing the amount of inflammation in the body. However, their discoveries might aid in the formation of a base regarding a cause and effect hypothesis. In the survey each participant reported their dietary habits, which included a series of questions specifically pertaining to coffee. Higher coffee consumption went along with lower amyloid levels. The scholars did the study in the years 2001 and 2002. After putting together the pieces of the puzzle, researchers concluded that drinking less than 1.5 cups of coffee a day could be identified as “casual” coffee drinking, while more than this minimum quantity is translated into “habitual” drinking. Blood samples were also drawn from the subjects, in order to assess overall inflammation levels and antioxidant levels. The tests also looked into the antioxidants levels, which indicate the ability of the body to neutralize cell-damaging components.

An increased consumption of coffee was linked with a lower level of serum amyloid inside the body.

The researchers followed up with the study participants ten years later.

10 years later, 191 people had developed diabetes, including 13% of the men and 12% of the women in the original group.

Panagiotakos and his team just observed the participants in the study and didn’t make them abstain or drink coffee, so they still can’t be completely sure whether drinking the beverage helps to prevent diabetes or not.

The habitual drinkers of coffee were 54 percent less likely to get diabetes than the nondrinkers of coffee.

The study yielded 816 casual coffee drinkers, 385 habitual, and 239 non-coffee participants.

What’s surprising is that this was true even after researchers took into account lifestyle habits or medical records, such as smoking, drinking other caffeinated beverages, high blood pressure or family history of diabetes. The individuals that had reported drinking more coffee had lower chances of developing diabetes. Extensive analysis has revealed that coffee drinking offers both beneficial and aggravating health effects. Scientists point out that the best possible preventative measure for diabetes remains having a healthy life style, that needs to include a balanced diet and also regular physical exercise.