TEA AND COFFEE MAY DIMINISH DIABETES RISK
A new review and meta-analysis reveals that drinking three to four cups of tea or coffee a day may cut the risk of developing diabetes by 25%. Reviewers, led by Rachel Huxley from the University of Sydney, Australia, studied data of more than 500,000 individuals with over 21,000 cases of type-2 diabetes from prospective studies. Eighteen studies looked at coffee, six studies also included information about decaffeinated coffee, and seven studies reported on tea consumption. In addition to risk-lowering effects of additional regular coffee consumption, three to four cups of decaffeinated coffee were associated with a 33 per cent lower risk of diabetes, compared to drinking no decaf. Tea drinkers also benefited, with three to four cups associated with a one-fifth lower risk. A review of prospective studies of regular or decaffeinated coffee and tea revealed that each additional daily cup of coffee was associated with a 7% reduction in the excess risk of diabetes. Commenting on the possible bioactives and mechanism of action, Huxley and her co-workers noted that because of risk reductions associated with decaffeinated coffee, the effects were unlikely to be due solely to caffeine. Other compounds in coffee and tea, such as magnesium, antioxidant lignans or chlorogenic acids, may be involved. "The identification of the active components of these beverages would open up new therapeutic pathways for the primary prevention of diabetes mellitus," wrote the researchers. These findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.