Will your cup of coffee help to prevent diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of other chronic diseases, such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease.  In the United States about 7.8% of the population is diabetic and the prevalence continues to rise (Zhang, Lee, Cowan, Fabsitz, & Howard, 2011).  Interestingly, one of the most widely consumed beverages in the United States has recently been shown to prevent diabetes and enhance insulin sensitivity.  This popular worldwide drink is coffee and it is consumed by more than half of Americans (Sartorelli et al., 2010).

The average American coffee consumption is about 2 cups per day and it has been associated with lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes (Zhang et al., 2011). Coffee is brewed of different components that may alter metabolism, including caffeine, phenolic cholorogenic acid, magnesium, and other minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins (Pimentel et al., 2009).  One of the primary substances in coffee is caffeine.  Caffeine increases the amount of calories you burn in a day, by enhancing basal metabolic rate and thermogenesis in the body (Oba et al., 2010).  In western societies, the average daily caffeine intake is about 300 mg and the recommended adult intake is about 400 mg/day (Pimentel et al., 2009).  Another primary substance in a cup of coffee would be chlorogenic acid and it has shown antioxidant properties (Sartorelli et al., 2010).  In an 8 fl oz cup of this popular beverage, there is about 7 mg of magnesium, which has been related to glucose metabolism and improved insulin sensitivity (Loopstra-Masters, Liese, Haffner, Wagenknecht, & Hanley, 2010; Pimentel et al., 2009).  

Overall, coffee has been shown to speed up your metabolism and is packed full of different vitamins and minerals.  So drink up this morning! 

Please click on the following link to read about research studies in detail that compare diabetes and coffee consumption among various populations.