Drinking This Every Day Lowers Your Diabetes Risk, Study Says

EVEN MODERATE AMOUNTS OF THIS POPULAR BEVERAGE DECREASED TYPE-2 DIABETES RISK BY 25 PERCENT.

Just like cardiovascular disease, diabetes is a serious condition that often requires being proactive to avoid. After all, the 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report found that 34.2 million Americans—or one in ten people—has diabetes, while a whopping one in every three people is prediabetic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But besides lifestyle and diet changes, a study has found that drinking one popular beverage every day can greatly lower your risk of developing the disease. Read on to see which drink should become part of your daily routine.

RELATED: If You Notice This in the Bathroom, It Could Be the First Sign of Diabetes.

An analysis found that drinking coffee every day lowers your diabetes risk.
iStock

It turns out brewing that morning pot might be doing more than just getting your day started on the right foot. A team of researchers from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee, a non-profit organization "devoted to the study and disclosure of science related to coffee and health," analyzed 30 studies that cumulatively included data on almost 1.2 million participants.

Results found that those who drank three to four cups of coffee per day were 25 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who consumed 2 cups or less. But it wasn't just regular coffee that saw the added health benefit: even those who drank decaffeinated coffee saw their risk of diabetes drop at the same rate.

Numerous compounds found in coffee have been found to have major health benefits.
iStock

The researchers theorize the consumption of coffee provides the body with more compounds naturally found in each brew, including caffeine, caffeic acid, trigonelline, and cafestol. Each is believed to affect blood sugar levels while also finding that moderate coffee consumption can have an anti-inflammatory effect and boost antioxidants.

Research also showed that coffee might prevent hyperglycemia after meals, which in turn helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The team also wrote that "a cross-sectional multi-ethnic study in non-diabetic adults suggested that the effect of caffeinated coffee is positively related to insulin sensitivity, while decaffeinated coffee improves pancreatic beta-cells function."

RELATED: Drinking Your Coffee Like This Can Slash Your Alzheimer's Risk, Study Says.

The research team still recommends sticking to a moderate intake of coffee.
iStock

So why not overload on the joe? The results already hold plenty of good news for anyone already accustomed to a "moderate intake" of three to five cups per day. But the study also suggested that those who are truly java-obsessed could see even better results, finding that there was an additional six percent reduction in risk for every additional cup drank, up to eight to 10 cups. Still, researchers said data on high coffee consumption was limited and suggested sticking to three to five cups per day—and in the case of diabetic benefits, to avoid adding sweet syrups or ingredients.

RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Another study found three to five cups of coffee a day can also reduce the risk of death.
Shutterstock

But this research isn't the first to draw a connection between moderate coffee consumption and improved health. In a meta-analysis published in the American Heart Association's (AHA) journal Circulation in 2015, a team used data from three large studies totaling 208,501 participants that were followed up with for up to 30 years. This included a food questionnaire that tracked each person's coffee consumption.

Researchers found a direct correlation between the amount of coffee consumed—including decaffeinated coffee—and mortality, with those who drank three to five cups a day witnessing a 15 percent drop in early death for any reason. The study authors wrote that "significant inverse associations were observed between coffee consumption and deaths attributed to cardiovascular disease, neurologic diseases, and suicide."

RELATED: If You See This on Your Feet, You May Have Diabetes, Doctors Say.