A recently published study by Finnish researchers at their National Public Health Institute found coffee helped reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes amongst those included in it.

The study followed 11, 197 men and women aged 35 to 74 over 13 years. At the beginning of the study, the participants had no history of heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. Information was gathered about how much coffee, tea, alcohol, and other food they had using a questionaire they answered themselves. The fact that it was a self-administered questionaire means the study isn’t totally conclusive, though it does provide important information for further research.

Other information that was collected included levels of physical activity, smoking habits, socio-economic factors, height, and weight. The blood pressure of the participants was also taken.

The results were very interesting (especially to a coffee drinker such as myself!).

Hu and colleagues report that, after adjusting for a range of possible confounders like age, systolic blood pressure, smoking, BMI, fruit, vegetable, alcohol, bread, sausage and tea consumption, drinking between three and six cups a day was associated with a reduction in the risk of developing type-2 diabetes of 23 per cent in men and 29 per cent in women. (Nutraingredients.com)

And those drinking 7 or more cups a day had a whopping 34% decrease in the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes (for men), and 48% less risk for women. I think that’s good news for computer programmers and internet marketers 

They don’t really know what aspect of coffee gives these benefits, and the authors of the study believe it is a complex answer to that question. If previous studies are an indicator, it is unlikely to be the caffeine in coffee responsible for this, although some believe that caffeine can increase insulin sensitivity. This theory is described as ‘controversial’ however, and some stuidies seem to refute it. One in particular, published in The Archives Of Internal Medicine, found that decaffeinated coffee conferred a greater protective effect against developing Type 2 diabetes compared with regular coffee.

Some plausible explanations are that the magnesium content of coffee improves insulin sensitivity, or that the polyphenols contribute to a protective effect. It could be that several mechanisms are at work here.

And on that note, I’m off to get a cup of coffee!