Overview
There are two common types of diabetes which may affect individuals, typically
at different life stages:-
- Type I diabetes, sometimes known as 'insulin dependent diabetes' or 'juvenile
diabetes' is an inherited disease
- Type II diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes was previously called
'adult-onset diabetes' because in the past it was typically diagnosed after age 40.
However, with increasing levels of obesity and sedentary lifestyle, this disease
is now being diagnosed among adolescents and sometimes in children as young as
10 and under. The term 'adult onset' is no longer commonly used.
Both types of diabetes are characterised by glucose intolerance that is higher
than normal blood glucose concentration after a meal.
Research suggests that coffee drinking may be protective against the development
of Type II diabetes, though further research is needed to fully understand the
role of coffee in this disease.
Type II Diabetes
The cause of Type II diabetes is unknown. With this type of diabetes, either the
pancreas produces a reduced amount of insulin or the beta cells do not respond
to insulin; or both. Medical experts believe that Type II diabetes has a genetic
component, but that other factors also put people at risk for the disease. These
factors include: sedentary lifestyle, obesity, advanced age, unhealthy diet,
family history of diabetes, improper functioning of the pancreas, ethnicity, and
medication.
It has been stated that in Europe the number of people with Type II Diabetes
will increase form approximately 16 million in 1994 to 24 million in 2010 and
the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA estimate that over 18
million Americans have diabetes, and Type II diabetes accounts for over 90
percent of this total. (Amos et al. 1997)
For several years research studies have been published consistently suggesting
that coffee drinking may be protective against the development of Type II
diabetes. (Gruber et al. 2006; Pereira et al. 2006; Van Dam et al. 2006; Smith et
al. 2006; Bidel et al. 2006; Odegaard et al. 2008; Kato et al. 2009). Research
has been carried out with different population groups and in general the
findings support the hypothesis of coffee being protective against the development
of this condition (Van Dam et al. 2002; Salazar-Martinez et al. 2004;
Tuomilehto et al. 2004; Legrand et al. 2007; Bidel et al. 2008). Panagiotakos et al
(2007) concluded that moderate coffee drinking is associated with a lower
likelihood of having diabetes among non-tea drinkers. However, as with many areas of
research, the exact mechanism by which coffee may be protective is not yet
fully understood. It is thought that chlorogenic acid, found naturally in coffee,
is the most likely factor responsible for the observed effect, and not
caffeine as the effect has been found with both caffeinated and decaffeinated
coffees. This was highlighted by researchers who found that higher consumption of
decaffeinated coffee was associated with a lower risk of type II diabetes. (Van
Dam et al. 2006; Van Dam, 2008)
Conclusion
Research suggests that coffee drinking may be protective against the development
of Type II diabetes, though further research is needed to fully understand the
role of coffee in this disease.