A Coffee A Day Keeps the Diabetes Away?

Filed in archive Research on June 30, 2006

Go ahead and reach for that cup of coffee to get you going in the morning...just make sure it's decaf.

While decaffeinated coffee may not do much to give you a burst of much-needed energy, there is a possibility that it could lower your chances of reducing diabetes, according to an eleven year study.

A large US study of 28,000 women found that more than six cups of decaf coffee a day was linked with a 33% lower risk of diabetes compared with no coffee.

There was a much smaller reduced risk in women who drank caffeinated coffee.

Although scientists cannot say for certain what ingredient in coffee could be responsible for the reduction, the most likely is coffee's phytochemicals, which contain powerful antioxidant properties that protect insulin-producing cells.