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World Congress on the Prevention of Diabetes Moderate coffee consumption helps prevent diabetes
 Various studies point out that the risk of diabetes lowers partly as a result of a
potential impact on weight

Madrid, 14 November 2012. Drinking three or four cups of coffee daily helps prevent type
2 diabetes, the most frequent type of the disease, according to the studies presented at
the 7th World Congress on the Prevention of Diabetes and its Complications, which will
be held in Madrid until November 14 (World Diabetes Day). The mechanisms that help
prevent diabetes include the reduction of inflammation, oxidative stress and cholesterol
secretion.
One of the leading international researchers working on the benefits of coffee, Professor
Jaakko Tuomilehto, from the University of Helsinki and co-director of the Congress, states
that “it has been proven that drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee daily helps lower the risk of
developing type 2 diabetes because of the combination of chemicals contained in
coffee beans that are involved in metabolism.” Chlorogenic acid is one of these
chemicals: according to a study published in March by PLoS One magazine,
"[chlorogenic acid] could contribute to the beneficial effects of coffee on type 2
diabetes mellitus,” as it helps to promote the secretion of a hormone that stimulates
glucose transport. Professor Tuomilehto says that it adds to other mechanisms whose
effectiveness has already been proven, for instance, in helping to delay the intestinal
absorption of glucose and to inhibit glucose generation (gluconeogenesis).
Dr. Pilar Riobó, specialist in endocrinology and nutrition who participates in the Congress,
says that “various studies point out that the risk of diabetes lowers partly as a result of
caffeine or other coffee components, including chlorogenic acid and other phenolic
components, having a potential impact on weight.”
The panel of experts that discussed the benefits of coffee at a special roundtable on the
topic during the Congress concluded that drinking coffee increases insulin sensitivity, is
associated to a 20% increase in adiponectine, a hormone involved in the metabolism of
glucose and fatty acids, and reduces inflammatory and liver damage markers.
It al depends on the dose
The higher the dose, the larger the impact of coffee. A meta-analysis of 18 studies
showed that each additional cup of coffee drunk per day helped decrease the risk of
diabetes by an additional 7%. Dr. Riobó states that “a dose-dependent relation” has also
been observed “in connection with mortality in the general population, including
diabetic patients.”
Dr. Riobó counters some of the myths related to coffee and heart diseases. "Although
links had been initially established between the excessive consumption of coffee and
heart diseases, other risk factors, such as diet and smoking, were not taken into
account.” In fact, she adds, “the moderate consumption of coffee is inversely
associated to the risk of heart failure and seems to slightly help stroke prevention.”
Neither is coffee intake related to hypertension. “It is generally believed that coffee
increases our blood pressure, but it has been proven that alterations in blood pressure
are minimal and are solely observed in occasional consumers and, in any case, they are
much lower than those caused by our daily activities."

For more information:
Carlos Mateos/Rocío Jiménez. COM SALUD
Tel.: 91 223 66 78/ 685 53 68 16

Source: http://isbm.info/files/2012/coffee_press_release.pdf