Tea and coffee 'can prevent diabetes'
A cup of tea lowers the risk of getting type 2 diabetes, according to research
Coffee and tea drinkers are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to new research.
The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, shows that people who have three or four cups of coffee or tea a day cut their risk of the illness by at least 20%.
And it's unlikely that caffeine is responsible – decaf coffee has the greatest effect, the scientists say, with four cups lowering the risk of the disease by a third.
Instead, other compounds in coffee and tea, including magnesium and antioxidants known as lignans or chlorogenic acids, could be involved in decreasing the risk.
Dr Victoria King, of the charity Diabetes UK, urged caution though, adding that other factors, such as a healthier lifestyle and a lower consumption of fizzy drinks, could have influenced the results.
For the study, researchers examined 18 separate studies, which involved 458,000 people in total, taking factors such as age and weight into consideration.
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As 80% of people in the study were white, researchers said the findings may not apply to all other racial groups.
Around 95% of all people with diabetes in the UK have type 2 diabetes, according to the NHS.
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Comments
My husband is in his sixties and has been drinking at least six cups/mugs of tea and coffee, with or without caffeine, every day throughout his adult life. However he developed type 2 diabetes in his fifties.