Health News

June 27, 2006

Coffee continues to pop up in health stories as offering health benefits and sometimes health risks. Today the coffee health buzz is in regards to diabetes. Yes, it is now being suggested that coffee may help reduce a person's risk of developing diabetes. This most recent coffee report was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Although this study is not the first health story to make an association between coffee intake and diabetes, this is the first to announce the effects of coffee that can be seen across different age groups and body weights. When it comes to diabetes and coffee caffeine does not seem to be the deciding factor. Decaffeinated coffee appears to be as effective in reducing diabetes risk, if not more, than regular coffee.

The coffee ingredients responsible for the possible protective effect remain unclear. Two coffee components, magnesium and phytate, did not account for the association seen. Caffeine intake from all sources, including soft drinks, also had no bearing on diabetes risk. Although this news is positive for those at risk of developing diabetes, the first line of prevention for diabetes is exercise and diet.