Four cups a day, keeps diabetes away. Really?
Did I just hear right? Indeed I did. I caught a moment of the news and the anchor was covering a new study touting these results -- and later, after a quick online search, I learned that this anchor wasn't alone -- many were covering the "four cups a day, keep diabetes away" story.
Here's what I've got to say, could four cups of Joe a day ever be healthy, or even help prevent diabetes?:
1) If one exchanged plain coffee for caffeinated sodas -- this would be a nutritional upgrade that could help prevent diabetes.
2) If, however, one decided to have cream and sugar or even fat-free milk and artificial sugar or a no-sugar added powder or a non-dairy creamer with partially hydrogenated oil in their coffee then they would lose in terms of diabetes risk.
3) If one was drinking eight cups of coffee a day or six cups and two Red Bulls, and traded down to four cups a day, then I could see how this nutrition upgrade could help prevent diabetes.
4) If one was drinking 16-24 ounces daily of juice, "vitamin" waters, and sugar-based teas, and exchanged these for four cups of coffee one could see reduction in their risk of diabetes as well as likely their waist circumference and body fat.
5) If one was eating "energy" bars with greater than 10 grams of sugar, less than five grams of protein, and which contained artificial ingredients daily or several times daily, and exchanged it for a cup of coffee and an apple with some peanut butter, then perhaps the coffee could help to reduce diabetes risk.
6) If, however, one consumed four cups of coffee in lieu of eating nutrient balanced eating occasions during the day and then "backloaded" with calories at night, then one surely did not help prevent the onset of diabetes and moreover, the stress and irritation to the system would more likely increase risk for other chronic diseases or symptoms in the future.
7) If one added spices to coffee like cinnamon, clove, and cardamom then one would likely feel the benefit of digestive aids as well as hormonal ones that could help protect the body against diabetes and other diseases.
8) If one has a high risk of diabetes due to obesity, family history, or other medical factors and decides to ONLY increase consumption of coffee to prevent diabetes then one likely misses out on whole host of other well-documented nutrition and lifestyle behaviors that can help prevent diabetes while also improving overall long term health.
9) If one consumed only organic coffee -- so that no additional chemicals enter our system -- then one will help reduce the toxic burden in the body which could be linked to a lower risk of obesity and disease, including diabetes.
10) If, when consuming coffee, one doesn't get any jitters and it allows one to function daily as well as get in routine exercise and go to sleep at a reasonable hour (before midnight) with six to eight hours of sleep then the coffee consumption might not be an issue.
11) If, however, one has one 24-hour day where coffee wasn't available and one can't function; one scours the cupboards for sugar to get a "lift" or to identify replacement sources of caffeine. Then one's body is telling them that it is likely addicted to caffeine and should consider reducing or eliminating intake.
Net, net, only you can answer the "ifs" for yourself. But I will provide one final If/Then scenario that applies to us all: If you believe the top line of a study presented on the news and change your diet to meet the reported results without finding out more about what the study results were based on, as well as whether it fits your particular health profile, Then you have no one but yourself to blame if the outcome isn't as the TV reporter presented.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2925214/?tool=pubmed
But then is study says the opposite:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17998023
This study reports a reduce insulin sensitivity, and increase cortisol levels. Cortisol is more to be
elevated when taken on a empty stomach especially first thing in the morning.
Now in this study growing evidence indicates that various dietary polyphenols may influence carbohydrate metabolism at many levels. Polyphenols are in such as tea, coffee, wine, cocoa, cereal grains, soy, fruits and berries.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2871121/?tool=pubmed
The potential beneficial health effects of caffeine are controversial. Despite a common perception that coffee consumption may have negative health consequences, a recent large population-based study found increasing coffee intake actually led to a modest decrease in all-cause mortality, largely due to a reduced rate of cardiovascular death.This study, Increased caffeine consumption is associated with reduced hepatic fibrosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2801884/?tool=pubmed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1909914/?tool=pubmed
The constituents of coffee might have genotoxic, mutagenic, or antimutagenic properties, any of which could influence colorectal cancer risk.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10958327 Read this abstact: Coffee and cancer: a review of epidemiological studies, 1990-1999.
Intake of coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea are associated with reduced risk of diabetes. .
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/169/22/2053
As will see and read Coffee can have many benefits if used right as Ashley has mentioned.
I have provide full study to read and make up their own mind.
The Benefit of Coffee are derived for from never drinking coffee or a strong black tea on a empty
stomach. If you drink it first in the morning or sugar or to much cream you will negate the benefits.
According to a new study in the journal Diabetes, drinking four cups of coffee every day can decrease a woman's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by more than half.
Researchers suggest the link between coffee and diabetes is all about sex. Well, it's about the sex hormone-binding globulin, or SHBG, that's in the blood. Something about coffee (researchers aren't sure what, but they don't think it's caffeine) raises the amount of SHBG, and higher levels of it are known to lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Past studies have also shown that something in coffee seems to have a protective effect against the disease, and have included both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, as well as tea.
Here is more info on the benefits of Coffee:
The findings add to evidence for a protective association between coffee intake and hyperuricemia.
Increased insulin sensitivity has been proposed as a possible mechanism underlying an inverse association between coffee and serum UA.
READ MORE TO THE NEXT POST
"How might coffee keep diabetes at bay?
“It’s the whole package,” Hu says. He points to antioxidants -- nutrients that help prevent tissue damage caused by molecules called oxygen-free radicals. “We know that coffee has a very strong antioxidant capacity," Hu says.
Coffee also contains minerals such as magnesium and chromium, which help the body use the hormone insulin, which controls blood sugar (glucose). In type 2 diabetes, the body loses its ability to use insulin and regulate blood sugar effectively."
No wonder science is held in such low esteem in this country.
Simply put...eliminate processed foods and get some exercise. Moderate exercise is all you need. There is no need to go to a gym and kill yourself working out. A brisk 30 minute walk and some stretching and calisthenics is all you need.
More lean protein, more green/crunchy vegetables and low-GI fuits, less sugar, less or no alcohol, processed flour (including bread and pasta). Drink coffee to your heart's content. You probably won't get type 2 diabetes.
"8) If one has a high risk of diabetes due to obesity..."
An obese person may be at higher risk of developing diabetes, but it's not really "obesity" that causes that increased risk. In almost all cases, obesity is another symptom of a bad diet, just like diabetes.
If we focused on eating healthy, rather than just losing weight, we'd see a big reduction in obesity and diabetes.