Tips to Beat Diabetes: Drink More Coffee?



Posted: Sunday, August 22, 2010

by Mark Ramos
The Coffee Bump

Diabetes is a serious problem for Americans, but it also happens to be preventable. Research has shown that a quarter of Americans are at risk for prediabetes, which is a condition with elevated blood sugar that could cause diabetes within 10 years.

Out of the 25% of Americans, roughly 4% are aware of this problem. Of those who are aware, less than 50% attempt to make a difference by eating less, losing weight, and increasing how much they exercise. Those are just a few of the habits you need to reverse prediabetes to make sure that you do not develop the full-blown illness, which could result in blood sugar monitoring and drugs for a lifetime. Diabetes will also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and other scary health issues. Luckily, there are specific things that you can do to beat this illness, starting with your cup of Joe each day.

Harvard School of Public Health did a study of 126,210 men and women who were heavy daily coffee drinkers at up to 6 cups per day. Those that drank 6 cups of coffee each day had a 29% to 54% reduced risk of developing type II diabetes over 18 years. Those that drank 4 to 5 cups of coffee each day reduced their diabetes risk by 29%, while those that drank 1 to 3 cups of coffee each day had no benefit whatsoever. There were no results provided by drinking decaffeinated coffee. Caffeine and other substances, like chocolate, soda, and tea, did provide the benefit of reducing the risk of diabetes. Researchers within the study believed that caffeine helps boost the metabolism, and coffee also contains compounds, like magnesium, antioxidants, and potassium, to absorb sugar in the blood.

When you are considering how much coffee to drink daily, keep in mind that drinking a 16 ounce cup of Joe from Starbucks is actually equivalent to 2 cups of standard coffee, according to this study. This means that you would technically only need three coffee drinks from Starbucks or another chain to meet the requirement of reducing your risk of diabetes by up to 50%. Of course, make sure not to shoot yourself in the foot by adding heavy amounts of cream and sugar to your coffee, which will derail your diet completely. If you love the taste of coffee, it is better to drink it black because it has almost no calories and will offer you the caffeine and antioxidants you need to reduce your risk for this illness every day.

Last of all, make it your goal to maintain a healthy weight to reduce your risk for this disease. Even losing 10 pounds can significantly reduce this risk without even exercising. Extremely overweight people are 70% less likely to get diabetes if they lose only 5% of their total body weight, which is the first step in the right direction to maintaining a healthy weight, reducing your diabetes risk, and protecting your health for the long haul!

Mark Ramos is a coffee geek. For a great selection in all things coffee, espresso machines and BUNN home coffee makers, check out The Coffee Bump.
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