The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in quite a few nations. In the case of Singapore, one in three people is currently at risk of developing diabetes at some point in their lives. Various cardiometabolic complications in the early stages of life make it essential to identify the high-risk population and apply preventive strategies for diabetes.
High-risk groups include women who developed diabetes during pregnancy, commonly known as gestational diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes. Compared to the healthy female population, these women may have a tenfold increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Some research has shown that replacing consumption of sugary or artificially sweetened beverages with a daily amount of between two and five cups of caffeinated or non-caffeinated coffee is potentially healthier for preventing type 2 diabetes or delaying its onset.
This is probably due to the bioactive components in coffee, such as polyphenols, which are naturally occurring plant micronutrients. These bioactive compounds are types of chemicals found in small amounts in vegetables, including certain plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, and whole grains.
Coffee appears to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in the general population. However, it was not known before the new study whether coffee may also be beneficial for women with gestational diabetes.
To investigate, Cuilin Zhang’s international team, from the National University of Singapore, examined the effects of long-term coffee consumption after a complicated pregnancy and the subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes among women with a history of gestational diabetes.
In their study, the researchers followed more than 4,500 participants, predominantly white women with a history of gestational diabetes, for more than 25 years, and examined the associations of long-term coffee consumption with subsequent type 2 diabetes risk.
Consumption of caffeinated coffee among women after their pregnancies was found to have an inverse linear association with the risk of type 2 diabetes. Compared with those who drank no caffeinated coffee at all, among those who drank a cup of caffeinated coffee or less, two to three cups, and four and more cups a day, the risk of type 2 diabetes was reduced by 10%, 17%, and 53%, respectively.
A cup of coffee. (Photo: Amazings/NCYT)
Interestingly, decaffeinated coffee consumption was not associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes in this study. However, this null result could be due to the relatively small number of study subjects consuming decaffeinated coffee, which may prevent us from detecting a significant association.
More importantly, substituting caffeinated coffee for sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages also reduced risk, by 10% when replacing one cup of artificially sweetened beverage, and by 17% when replacing one cup of the one sweetened with sugar.
Although the results of the study are very encouraging in terms of coffee consumption, great caution should be exercised when it comes to drinking coffee in very large quantities. Coffee can be harmful to the health of certain people. And not much is known about its effects on pregnancies, fetuses, and young children.
The study is titled “Habitual coffee consumption and subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes in individuals with a history of gestational diabetes – a prospective study”. And it has been published in the academic journal American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (Source: NCYT de Amazings)