I’ll have a cup of coffee, please!

Diabetes is a silent epidemic in our country today. Nearly 21 million people have diabetes and some don’t even know they have diabetes.

The complications and health issues associated with diabetes make this a disease that cannot go untreated without severe consequences.

Recent research shows surprising results about coffee drinkers and the risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Will Drinking Coffee Protect You From Type 2 Diabetes?

For years we have heard many different things about the benefits and/or negative effects of drinking coffee. Should we drink just one or two cups a day, or should we drink a whole pot? Or should we avoid coffee at all costs?

Well, recent research findings of Besa Smith and co-investigators at the University of California San Diego in La Jolla report seem to indicate that coffee drinkers are somehow protected from developing Type 2 Diabetes.

The research was conducted over the course of 8 years and included 910 men and women 50 years or older. All of the participants were free of diabetes at the start of the research project.

Well, 8-years later the research results are in. Results indicate that former and current coffee drinkers were 60% less likely to have developed Type 2 Diabetes than non-coffee drinkers. Notice that the results also indicate ‘former’ coffee drinkers—meaning that some people used to drink coffee, but do not currently drink coffee.

These are the results even after adjusting for variations in physical activity, weight, blood pressure, smoking and gender.

The researchers were not able to determine how many cups of coffee people needed to produce this protective effort, yet none of the participants were heavy coffee drinkers. Of course, they didn’t mention what type of coffee the participants drank–could it be cappucinos, lattes, frappucino.

There have been no direct conclusions as to what exactly causes this ‘coffee protective effort’. The astonishing results were seen in caffeinated and de-caffeinated coffees.

So, now you can justify your trips to Starbucks for your daily coffee treat. Maybe we can somehow claim Starbucks expenses on our medical plans since it may be considered an preventative treatment!

For more info on diabetes, visit http://www.diabeticadvisory.com