If you are a coffee lover, this article is for you. Coffee and diabetes have been linked. These studies show that coffee can decrease your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The studies found that the more cups of coffee people drink per day, the lower their chance is of getting diabetes. So if you want to enjoy your favorite beverage while lowering your chances of getting type 2 diabetes, then keep reading!
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What is Diabetes?
When we eat foods that contain sugar, our digestive system breaks it down and turns it into glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy for living cells and helps regulate blood sugars (glucose levels). If you have diabetes, your body can’t use this glucose properly because either:
- your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin
- your cells don’t respond to the insulin you do produce or both.
These are called type I and II diabetes respectively. There are some other types of diabetes as well, but these two will be discussed here:
- Type I diabetics must take daily injections of insulin to regulate their glucose levels.
- Type II diabetics can still make some insulin, but their cells do not respond to the insulin they make. So even though there is some insulin in the body, it doesn’t work. This means that blood sugar stays high after eating.
Diabetes and Coffee
Type two is the most common form of diabetes among adults today. It occurs when a person’s pancreas produces insulin that is not enough. This also happens when the body does not recognize it well enough to use it properly. In this case, you must control your blood sugar levels. One way to do this is by drinking coffee and monitoring the number of cups consumed daily.
Coffee helps regulate insulin in a healthy body. So those suffering from type-two diabetes must be mindful of how much caffeine they consume each day. Consuming too much or too little can have adverse effects on blood sugar levels. Just find the right way to consume coffee.
People suffering from type-two diabetes should monitor their caffeine intake closely and avoid drinking more than five cups of coffee a day.
Coffee and Diabetes: Prevention
If you are looking for the best way to prevent diabetes, coffee may be an excellent option. While there is no clear-cut proof that drinking coffee will help in preventing or delaying type two diabetes. Some researches have shown promising results with both caffeine and antioxidants found in common beverages like green tea and coffee.
Coffee’s Effect on Insulin and Glucose
Coffee has been shown to have positive effects against diabetes. While coffee may help prevent diabetes. However, certain studies have indicated that your ordinary black coffee might be harmful to those who already have type 2 diabetes.
Regularly drinking caffeinated coffee has the potential to alter its impact on glucose and insulin sensitivity. Tolerance may develop over time, producing a protective effect.
Research shows that there may be a genetic component to how we metabolize caffeine. Our blood sugar level is also important. The people who process caffeine more slowly had higher blood sugar levels than those who processed it faster, according to this research. So, it all depends on your metabolism.
Habitual Drinking of Coffee and Diabetes
There are big differences in how people with diabetes and without diabetes react to coffee. In a study, regular coffee drinkers with type 2 diabetes kept track of their blood sugar while performing everyday activities. They found that they had high blood sugar on days they drank coffee.
Other Health Benefits of Coffee
There are additional health advantages of drinking coffee that isn’t connected to diabetes prevention. Recent research with controlled risk factors has shown coffee’s various benefits. They include:
- Helps prevent heart disease
- A study showed that coffee drinkers were less likely to die of cardiovascular disease than non-coffee drinkers. Those who drank four or five cups daily cut their risk in half.
Coffee and Parkinson Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a neuro-based disorder where a person can have tremors and affected movement. According to various studies, caffeine which is present in coffee prevents Parkinson’s disease. Studies have shown that it also aids in the movement of the individual suffering from this disorder.
Coffee and Liver Cancer
Some researchers in Italy conducted that if an individual when intakes coffee, it lowers the risk of getting liver cancer by 40 percent.
Those who consume around three cups in a day lower their risks by 50 percent.
Coffee and Other Liver-Related Diseases
In 2017, an analysis was conducted that if an individual consumed any type of coffee. They had a lower risk of gallstone disease, cirrhosis, and nonalcoholic liver disease.
Coffee Reduces the Risk of Alzheimer Disease
Alzheimer’s is a disease that destroys the mental functions of the individual and destroys memory. Which results in individuals having poor and no recollection.
The disease has no cure but medication helps improve the symptoms.
Caffeine when consumed acts as a protection from dementia. An individual who consumes about 3-4 cups of coffee daily lowers the risk of this disease by 65 percent.
Some recent studies also claim that drinking coffee helps reduce depression. However, too much coffee consumption can be fatal.
Syrups and Lattes
The coffees with syrups and high amounts of sugars are becoming popular nowadays. These types of beverages can be fatal and health concerns for those who suffer from diabetes.
Coffee in its pure form is best for people with diabetes.
Major coffee joints and chains also offer ‘skinny’ coffee which has a reduced amount of carbs and sugars. This type of coffee helps people to wake up in the morning and reenergize themselves.
Diabetic patients, if their blood sugar level increases, should switch to decaf. However, coffee does not cure diabetes. It only helps to lower the risk and those who have diabetes help lowering in blood pressure.
Risks of Coffee Consumption in Diabetes
Coffee is a health benefit. However, it also has some side effects, which may include –
- Anxiety -Individuals suffering from anxiety should keep a check on their coffee consumption.
- Nervousness – If a person consumes too much caffeine, it induces a flight or fight response in the individual’s body. Which may further cause jitters and nervousness.
- Restlessness – A person may feel restless after coffee consumption. Too much energy provided by the coffee may cause restlessness.
- Coffee consumption should be limited daily. Teens and young adults should only consume 100 gms each day. If one exceeds the limit it may be fatal for the individual.
Coffee only prevents diabetes by lowering sugar levels and not curing it. If you consume coffee daily, it may prove to be beneficial.
Conclusion
However one should take consultation from their trusted doctor or physician. A good diet plan and a healthy lifestyle may further help. A person should reduce the amount of sugar in their coffees. They should also indulge in healthy diets and exercises. Hope this article helped you gain an insight into how coffee and diabetes are linked.
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