The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC), a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of coffee’s impact on human health, has just published its yearly report on diabetes in light of World Diabetes Day last Saturday, November 14. It is estimated that over 380 million people across the globe have diabetes, and that the chronic disease costs nations at least $548 billion in health dollars.
The institution’s main finding on coffee’s impact on diabetes suggests that a moderate consumption of coffee is strongly associated with a significantly lowered risk of developing type 2 diabetes. While their findings have yet to reveal the exact mechanism behind this, a number of preclinical studies have shown the anti-inflammatory properties of coffee, which are thought to help with this disease.
This year’s annual diabetes research round up includes the following new research outcomes:
- Drinking 3-4 cups of coffee per day can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 25%, compared to drinking none to less than two cups per day.
- Each additional cup of coffee reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 7%-8%.
- Caffeine is not likely to be the causative substance behind this health benefit, as consumption of even decaffeinated coffee can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- The risk reduction may also be dependent on the type of coffee consumed. Filtered coffee has shown a greater preventive effect than boiled coffee. Interestingly, decaffeinated coffee was noted to be more protective than caffeinated coffee as well.
Established in 1990, the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee has devoted its research efforts to discovering the many and varied health benefits of coffee, such as in addressing cancer, cardiovascular health, liver function, mental health, pregnancy, and many more. Since 2003, the institution has also been a supporter of a pan-European education program that closely works with national coffee associations in 9 countries to educate healthcare professionals on the latest health-related findings on coffee.
This year’s World Diabetes Day was themed “Healthy Living and Diabetes.” The Department of Health (DH), Diabetes Hongkong, and the School of Hotel and Tourism Management of the Chinese University of Hong Kong have asked the general public to focus more on adequate nutrition and exercise in order to reduce the nationwide impact of type 2 diabetes.
