The Learning Blog

There are sometimes claims that coffee may do harm, that it may increase the propensity to cardiovascular disease, but there is no evidence for this. The message is that people may drink coffee safely. Coffee from this point of view may actually be of benefit, as well as reducing the risk of getting diabetes – although the reduction is small. – Dr. Lars Ryden, European Society of Cardiology

An analysis of 18 studies involving almost 460,000 patients by Australian researchers from the George Institute for International Health, Sydney said that drinking coffee (decaf and otherwise) and tea may help prevent the development of diabetes.

The study found a significant inverse relationship of coffee consumption and diabetes risk by 7%. Gender, geographic location, or the method of diagnosis or self-report does not seem to affect the result.

Those who drank 3 to 4 cups of decaf coffee per day cuts their diabetes risk by 1/3 (33%) compared to those who drink 2 or less.

The researchers explained that the protective effects noted in coffee and tea may not be solely due to caffeine but also as a unified effect of this and other helpful substances such as magnesium, lignans, and chlorogenic acids.

Lignans are plant-based chemical compounds found also in fruits, cereals, and flaxseeds. It is considered as a phytoestrogen. Chlorogenic acids are naturally-occurring compounds of coffee known to be as an antioxidant and which controls the release of glucose into the bloodstream after a meal.

Analysis of seven studies also found that taking 3 to 4 cups of tea a day also lowers the risk of diabetes by 1/5 (20%). Catechins from tea limits the production of glucose in the intestinal tract. Additionally, green tea protects the pancreas’ beta cells from damage. Beta cells manufacture the hormone insulin for glucose metabolism, the lack of this in quantity or function causes Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

However, the study authors cautions that more studies are needed due to (1) a possible “small-study bias” leading to an overestimate of the results and (2) coffee and tea effects are possibly age-dependent.

Source: Tea, Coffee Seem to Protect from Diabetes from MedPage Today.

A study (abstract), published in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, from Georgia State University reported that a high-fructose diet affected the long-term memories of rats.

The goal of the study was to test the hypothesis that a high-fructose diet would impair hippocampal-dependent memory. More »