How coffee can help keep diabetes at bay: Four cups slashes the risk by 25%, say scientists

Drinking up to four cups of coffee a day can slash the risk of diabetes by 25 per cent, according to new research.
The study has found that drinking decaffeinated filtered coffee at lunchtime is also the best time of day to have a cup to lower the chances of diabetes.
The risk of developing the condition also falls by a further seven to eight per cent with each additional cup and the research also shows the drink doesn’t increase the chances of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension or stroke.
The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee in Switzerland marked World Diabetes Day today by publishing its annual diabetes report, which gathered together research which highlighted the health benefits of caffeine.
One of the studies said that three to four cups of coffee a day may reduce the risk of developing diabetes by a quarter when compared to having less than two cups a day.
The report said there are number of processes why this is the case, including the possibility coffee improves glucose, energy metabolism and burns more calories.
It added: ‘Alternatively, coffee could affect insulin sensitivity in the body. A 2014 study of Japanese men suggested higher coffee consumption may be protected against insulin resistance in normal weight individuals.
‘Another possibility is it could simply be an effect of calorie displacement, where choosing coffee over a sugary drink leads to a reduction in calorie consumption.’
In analysis the researchers found the incidence of Type 2 diabetes, the form that develops in adulthood and is associated with obesity, fell by 12 per cent for every two additional cups a day.
Additionally, a large US prospective cohort study showed that increasing coffee consumption by one cup per day over a four year period resulted in an 11 per cent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes in the subsequent four years.

Those who decreased coffee intake by one cup a day had a 17 per cent higher risk.
Research has also suggested the time of coffee consumption could play a distinct role in glucose metabolism.
A study of almost 70,000 French women found drinking coffee, especially at lunchtime, reduced the risk of developing diabetes.
More than 380 million people worldwide, including more than three million in the UK, have diabetes, making it one of the most significant global health problems.
Recent work also suggests the type of coffee may also affect the link, with filtered and decaffeinated exhibiting greater protection than boiled and caffeinated drinks.
The report explained: ‘The research outlined in this report suggests that regular moderate coffee consumption may actually decrease an individual’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
‘Furthermore, a dose-dependent, inverse association between both coffee drinking and total mortality has been demonstrated in the general population, as well as among diabetics.
Studies have also found that drinking coffee does not increase cancer risk in the diabetic population, nor does it cause cardiovascular disease, hypertension or stroke.
‘Although more research is needed to make firm conclusions, the findings suggest that coffee in moderation can be safely enjoyed by the healthy as well as by the diabetic population and might even be helpful in Type 2 diabetes prevention.’
The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) was established in 1990 and is devoted to the study and disclosure of science related to ‘coffee and health’.
Its members are major European coffee companies including Lavazza and Nestlé.
However some experts have warned that despite the new report, drinking coffee does not actively reduce the diabetes risk.
Dr Richard Elliot from the charity Diabetes UK said: ‘The studies highlighted in this report found people who drank more coffee tended to have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, but this does not mean drinking more coffee actively reduces your diabetes risk.
‘Other factors not identified by these studies are also likely to be involved, and further research will be needed find out what causes this link.
‘What we do know is the best way to reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes is to maintain a healthy weight.
‘We recommend a healthy, balanced diet that is low in fat, salt and sugar.’