Monday, Dec. 26, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Women with diabetes during pregnancy may want another cup of joe.
A new study shows that drinking coffee may lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.
According to researchers at the Global Center for Asian Women’s Health (GloW) at the National University of Singapore, women with gestational diabetes may have a 10-fold higher risk of type 2 diabetes compared to the general female population.
“Overall findings suggest that when consumed appropriately, caffeinated coffee [2 to 5 cups per day, without sugar and whole-fat/high-fat dairy]can be incorporated into a relatively healthy lifestyle for certain people.
Past studies have shown that drinking two to five cups of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee daily is healthier than drinks with artificial sweeteners or sugar.
To learn more, researchers followed more than 4,500 women with a history of gestational diabetes for over 25 years to examine long-term coffee consumption and risk. Most of the participants were white.
Women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day after pregnancy had a 53% lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who never drank coffee. Those who drank two to three drinks had a 17% lower risk, and those who drank less than one drink had a 10% lower risk.
Decaf was not found to have similar benefits.
The researchers also found that replacing sugary drinks with caffeinated coffee reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 10% for artificially sweetened drinks and 17% for sugary drinks.
According to researchers, coffee may be beneficial due to its bioactive constituents such as polyphenols, which are naturally occurring plant micronutrients. It is found in small amounts in certain foods such as grains.
“The beneficial role of coffee has been consistently suggested among diverse populations, including Asians,” Zhang said, noting that the method of brewing, frequency of drinking, and other flavorings in coffee vary from person to person. He added that it could be different.
She said more research is needed to examine the role of coffee consumption and health effects.
Researchers note that too much coffee can be a problem, especially in certain groups. Little is known about the effects of coffee on pregnancy, fetuses and children, they said.
“While coffee exists as a potentially healthy alternative to sweetened beverages, the health benefits of coffee vary and vary greatly depending on the type and amount of flavorings such as sugar and milk added to the coffee. ,” said first author Jiaxi Yang. Postdoctoral fellow at GloW.
Researchers at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the National Institutes of Health collaborated on this study.
The survey results recently American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
For more information
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on gestational diabetes.
Source: National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, news release, December 12, 2022