| New research out of the University of | | | | "We found exactly the same protective effect |
| Minnesota School of Public Health shows that | | | | of decaffeinated coffee," van Dam said. |
| coffee may lower a person's risk for type 2 | | | | "People think that if coffee causes it, it |
| diabetes! | | | | must be the caffeine, but coffee is a very |
| | | | complex mixture," he added. |
| Coffee drinkers can now drink their coffee | | | | |
| without worries. Of course, decaffeinated is | | | | One component of coffee that has caught van |
| still a better choice, as the research showed | | | | Dam's attention is chlorogenic acid, which |
| that postmenopausal women who daily consumed | | | | seems to be able to slow the absorption of |
| more than six cups of coffee had a 33 percent | | | | sugar by cells. Studies in rats found that |
| lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than | | | | the molecule lowered blood-sugar levels, he |
| women who did not drink coffee. | | | | said. |
| | | | |
| "Having a healthy diet, controlling your | | | | There's another reason to hope that |
| weight, and exercising are essential to | | | | chlorogenic acid is beneficial: According to |
| preventing the onset of diabetes, but | | | | van Dam, it's abundant in both red wine and |
| drinking coffee has the potential to further | | | | chocolate. "People think that nutritionists |
| reduce risk of diabetes," said Mark Pereira, | | | | are always recommending things they don't |
| Ph.D., lead author and Associate Professor at | | | | like, but that's not true," he said. |
| the University of Minnesota School of Public | | | | |
| Health. "It may be necessary to rethink the | | | | Did you know there are over 20 million |
| idea that drinking coffee does more harm than | | | | Americans who have diabetes, with 6.2 million |
| good." | | | | of these cases being undiagnosed? |
| | | | |
| Why does coffee help reduce the risk of type | | | | It should also be noted that the research |
| 2 diabetes? Well, it appears from the | | | | found that higher coffee intake was |
| research that coffee contains minerals and | | | | associated with lower body mass index and |
| antioxidants that aid in carbohydrate | | | | rates of hypertension. |
| metabolism and insulin sensitivity and | | | | |
| possibly delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. | | | | Pereira and van Dam agreed that it's much too |
| | | | early to single out any one component of |
| The report was described as "not surprising" | | | | coffee as beneficial. |
| by Rob van Dam, a research scientist at the | | | | |
| Harvard School of Public Health. He was part | | | | Of course, you still need to control your |
| of a research team in the Netherlands who | | | | weight and do your daily exercises, but isn't |
| first reported the protective effect of | | | | nice to know that you can actually have your |
| coffee in 2002. Several other studies, | | | | coffee without guilt. |
| including one done at the Harvard School of | | | | |
| Public Health, have backed up those original | | | | So, when you go to pour your next cup of |
| findings. | | | | coffee, remember, it may actually good for |
| | | | you! |