If you thought a hot cup of coffee just refreshed your body and soul, you are wrong. A recent study about the connection between type 2 diabetes and “coffee” claims that drinking coffee reduces diabetes risk by more than half. Great news as you’re probably sipping a mug of joe from your cup holder as you read this.
Women who consume about three to four cups of coffee daily, have over 50% less chance of getting diabetes, says a report which was published in the journal ‘Diabetes’ recently. Although the actual reason for this is yet unknown, former studies have confirmed that coffee provides a shielding cover against type 2 diabetes.
Experts at Los Angeles based University of California have lately found out a potential molecular mechanism which may be putting off the particular metabolic state.
A likely explanation
Sex hormones testosterone and estrogen are considered to be largely responsible for causing diabetes. A type of glycoprotein called sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) regulates the production of these sex hormones and researchers say that drinking coffee increases the plasma levels of SHBG. This in turn allows the body to work properly by maintaining the right levels of insulin needed for the body.
Facts and findings of the Study
Study author and a doctoral student in epidemiology, Atsushi Goto and professor of epidemiology and medicine at UCLA, Dr. Simin Liu accomplished a study to gauge the connection between type 2 diabetes and daily coffee consumption. Out of the 400,000 women who were enrolled in a large scale Women’s Health Study, the researchers short listed 359 diabetes patients and 359 healthy people of similar age and race.
The most important factor to reduce risks of type 2 diabetes is the blood levels of SHBG, said Dr Liu. In the study, they confirmed that coffee drinkers were 56% less likely to get diabetes compared to people who did not drink coffee at all.
It also established that in women who consumed about three to four coffee cups daily (great news for our drink holder), higher levels of sex hormone–binding globulin was found compared to non-coffee drinkers. Furthermore, the study discovered that the protective effect of coffee vanished when glycoprotein levels were regulated.
However, too much of everything is dangerous and coffee or caffeine is no exception. The health experts say that even if researchers have ascertained that coffee is responsible for preventing diabetes in middle-aged women, it is not recommended to consume it in higher quantities whether in wheelchair accessories or not.
