Most of us like a good cup of coffee now and then, whether it's an espresso in the morning to wake us up or a latte in the afternoon when catching up with friends, but research has suggested that decaffeinated coffee is associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes. So should we all be switching to decaf?

The American study followed 28,000 women over 11 years and it found that those who drank more than 6 cups of decaf coffee a day had a 33% lower risk of diabetes than those who drank no coffee at all. Although the women drinking normal coffee had a reduced risk too, it was of a smaller magnitude.

Coffee consumption was ascertained during the study with a series of questionnaires and other risk factors for diabetes, including age, body mass index, physical activity levels, alcohol consumption and smoking history were also recorded. At the beginning of the study none of the women had diabetes or any form of cardiovascular disease.

 

The results showed that, after taking into account the other risk factors, the women who had 6 cups of coffee a day had a 22% reduced risk of developing diabetes as compared to those who drank no coffee. However, when the researchers analysed the data for decaffeinated and caffeinated coffee separately they found that the risk reduction was greater in the decaf group. This led to the conclusion that caffeine was not the causative factor for the reduction in diabetes risk.

 

With caffeine not being responsible, the researchers then looked to see whether some of the other ingredients in the decaf could be responsible. Although minerals such as magnesium and phytic acid may benefit blood sugar control the researchers could not find a link to the reduced diabetes risk using the data they had. Coffee also contains a number of phytochemicals, which appear to have a high antioxidant activity - the researchers suggested that these could be acting to protect the pancreatic cells that produce insulin against damage thus preventing or delaying diabetes.

 

There does appear to be potential for coffee, both decaf and caffeinated, consumption to be promoted to help reduce the risk of diabetes but the exact mechanisms of this benefit need to be identified before any direct associations can be made. For now though we must consider this research with caution and remember that drinking too much caffeinated coffee can lead to dehydration which, in itself, is bad for our health.

 

So, what else can you do to try to avoid diabetes? Well, generally lead an active lifestyle, eat sensibly and maintain a healthy weight - these are the key things. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are a much safer and reliable bet than coffee, whether decaf or normal, at the moment!

 

Why not kick-start your healthy lifestyle and visit your local Leisure Connection centre? They will be able to offer you a variety of activities which will all count towards the recommended 5 x 30minutes per week and many will be able to offer you a quick body assessment too to see whether you need to think about losing some weight! To find your nearest centre, click here!