Spilling the Beans

An Australian study, published in the Dec. 14/28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, has concluded that tea and coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  Researchers looked at 18 separate studies involving nearly 500,000 people, and revealed that people who drink three or four cups of coffee or tea a day cut their risk of developing the disorder by a fifth or more.  The same amount of decaffeinated coffee had an even bigger effect, lowering risk by a third.

Findings also show that people who drink three to four cups of tea each day lower their risk of diabetes by about one-fifth compared to those who don’t drink tea.

If the findings prove true, doctors may well start advising people to put the kettle on as well as take more exercise and watch their weight, say the researchers.

Lead researcher Dr Rachel Huxley, from the University of Sydney in Australia, said because of the finding with decaffeinated coffee, the link is unlikely to be solely related to caffeine. Instead, other compounds in coffee and tea – including magnesium and antioxidants – may be involved.

She said those components appear to have a beneficial effect on blood sugar regulation and insulin secretion, but that further research is necessary.

Other experts agree more research is needed.

Dr Victoria King, of Diabetes UK, said: “Without full information about what other factors may be influencing the type 2 diabetes risk of the studies’ participants – such as their physical activity levels and diet – as well as what the active ingredient in tea or coffee appears to be, we cannot be sure what, if anything, this observed effect is down to.”