Coffee Drinking Decreases Risk for Diabetes and Is Not Linked to Chronic Illnesses

Researchers collected information on coffee drinking habits, diet, exercise and health from more than 42,000 adults without any chronic conditions. Nine years later, they found that coffee drinkers and non-drinkers were similarly likely to develop heart disease, stroke and cancer. Dr. Anna Floegel, lead author, said, “Our results suggest that coffee consumption is not harmful for healthy adults in respect of risk of major chronic diseases.” “On the other hand, coffee drinkers were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Among those who consumed four cups a day at baseline, 3.2% developed type 2 diabetes, compared to 3.6% of people who drank no coffee.” After adjustment for diabetes risk factors, the researchers determined that frequent coffee drinkers were 23% less likely to develop diabetes. The most notorious component of coffee – caffeine — is likely uninvolved, because Dr. Floegel’s group found that frequent decaf drinkers also had a lower risk of developing diabetes than people who didn’t drink any coffee. Am J Clin Nutr Feb 2012