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Caffeine vs Type II Diabetes

OctaneZ writes "New research out of the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that coffee may lower your risk of Type II Diabetes. Men who drank 6 cups of coffee a day lowered their risk by 50%, while womens risk dropped 30%. The release also includes audio discussions about the suprising findings."

17 of 445 comments (clear)

  1. Just a joke. by secondsun · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The statistics were probably skewed from their hearts exploding after beating like a hummingbird on meth.

    Really, what is the raiton between the risk of cardio injury from drinking this much coffee and the risk of getting diabetes in general? I would htink that cardiovascular disease would be a bigger threat than diabetes. (If I had to pick I would rather go with the cardiovascular disease but neither are nice)

    And was the regular coffee or my double brewed boiled down recipie where I fit two pots into one cup?

    --
    There is nothing wrong with being gay. It's getting caught where the trouble lies.
    1. Re:Just a joke. by BillFarber · · Score: 3, Interesting
      I would htink that cardiovascular disease would be a bigger threat than diabetes.

      Actually, diabetes is one of the major causes of heart disease.

    2. Re:Just a joke. by glesga_kiss · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Six cups of coffee isn't a lot. Think about it - most people sleep about 8 hours, so that gives 18 hours, and a cup of coffee every three hours.

      You know; that's exactly what a lot of other junkies do to rational their habit. I do it with cigarettes.

      Caffine is addictive. You are dependant on it. You are a drug addict.

      (ps can you leave all us smokers alone now...?) ;-)

  2. More Details! by Dark+Paladin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Does drinking 6 cups of coffee a day reduce Type II diabetes

    OR

    Does drinking 6 cups of coffee a day supress hunger so people eat less, and therefore weigh less, which reduces the chance of Type II diabetes?

    In my head, it's more the latter than any "wonder of coffee" - kind of like how a few years ago it was "red wine reduces heart attacks! Drink up, kids!", which then moved to "oh, well, grape juice does the same thing - it's all because of the antioxidants".

    1. Re:More Details! by YeOldeGnurd · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Also, after drinking 6 cups of coffee a day, one would have to think you would be quite fidgety and more active, so really it may just be a side effect.

      But what about the decaf effect?

      Instead of somewhat silly studies like this (I mean try to imagine the proposal trying to get funding for this), I would like to see studies that show what practical, small lifestyle changes have in reducing such risks- things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator, switching from soda to water, etc.

      This is not a silly study. This is just one of myriad results from the amazing Nurses' Study. Read about the history of this groundbreaking public health project. It's all about ferreting out subtle connections between lifestyle, diet, fitness, and health over a broad population.

      --
      ...Nothing interesting here. Just move along...
  3. Health Food -- Better than a smoothie! by shystershep · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Here's another (older) article about some of the health benefits which debunks some caffeine-related health concerns. I looked, but could not find, an article from several years ago that I know I read (not just wishful thinking - really) regarding a study of coffee drinkers and sexuality which found that men that were regular coffee drinkers continued to be sexually active later in life than their non-coffee-drinking counterparts.

    So, it's good for you! Drink up!

    --
    The bigotry of the nonbeliever is for me nearly as funny as the bigotry of the believer. - Albert Einstein
  4. I believe it. by NetJunkie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I am hypoglycemic and one thing that really straightens out my blood sugar/insulin is caffeine. When drinking coffee it's a lot more stable and doesn't fluctuate nearly as bad.

  5. parkinson too by G3ckoG33k · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Some claim caffeine helps for Parkinsons disease too

  6. the coffee causes diabetes 2 debate... by tuxette · · Score: 5, Interesting
    ...is going to be one of the "hot" health topics this year. I've seen several reports like the Harvard one, and I've seen several reports saying coffee/caffeine promotes insulin resistance which leads to diabetes type 2. I've also seen reports saying regular coffee helps, but not decaf or tea. And of course reports saying tea is THE thing. At this point, it's too early to say who's right and who's wrong.

    One thing to note is that a lot of the reports I read saying that coffee leads to diabetes type 2 also imply that the coffee is consumed together with some kind of carbohydrate-laced food, usually cakes or something. It is also equally important to note that there are a large number of athletes and serious exercisers who use coffee as a performance enhancer; they tend to not have diabetes type 2 and they tend not to consume their coffee with performance-undermining cakes.

    What I would like to see are more reports taking these factors into account.Compare people who drink just coffee with people who drink coffee and eat cake. Compare people who drink coffee and exercise vigorously on a regular basis with people who drink coffee and sit on the couch all day. Let's get rid of all the double-messages and ambiguities.

    --
    People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
  7. Caffine still isn't good for you though by plinius · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Caffeine has numerous side effects that are negative; the degree to which each effect troubles any one individual varies. These are what researchers have found in the lab.

    Side effects of caffeine include:

    • rapid heartbeat
    • shortness of breath
    • dehydration
    • increased urination
    • inability to remain attentive
    • forgetfulness
    • headaches
    • sleepiness
    • anger
    • stress, burning sensatiion

    Anger is perhaps the symptom I've seen the most in other people. It's due to the fact that caffeine causes the adrenal glands to dump their load--you feel energized by caffeine specifically because you've gotten an adrenaline rush. But andrenaline also causes anger because it brings on the "fight or flight" syndrome. Therefore one of the worst places to work is in a place with lots of caffine addicts--they tend to get on each others' nerves.

    Caffine causes other stress hormones to be released. The net effect is that you end up feeling tired because you've been feeling stressed out by caffeine. Most people end up taking caffeine to deal with caffeine's side effects.

    It takes two weeks for caffeine to completely leave your body.

  8. Re:Diet Soda? -OT- by Temkin · · Score: 4, Interesting



    Make fun of Atkins all you like, but for those of us that have type II diabetes, it's a powerful tool to control our blood sugar. I've lost enough weight on Atkins that my sugar readings are "normal" as long as I stick to the diet. If I eat more than about 20 grams of carbs at one sitting, or about 45 - 50 grams a day, my blood sugar goes way up. Studies have shown that good sugar control postpones and reduces the onset of diabetic complications. Basicly, the carbs kill diabetics faster than the fat & cholesterol.

    Many people mistake Atkins induction level with the "atkins diet". Induction is a 2 week phase. It is not a balanced diet, and you're not supposed to stay on it forever. Atkins at maintenance levels resembles The Zone diet.

  9. bullcrap by tuxette · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Over here, immigrants from places like Pakistan and Sri Lanka and India have a significantly higher rate of diabetes II than the Nordic white population. Many of these immigrants are vegetarians, for religious reasons. They get diabetes II because they eat too little protein, too many carbs (espcially bread, cakes and cookies - I see what they buy at the shops), way too much oil (even if it's vegetable oil), and don't exercise enough.

    Diabetes I is low in certain developing countries not because of better diet, but because of poverty. People with diabetes I were left to die, usually because they/their family couldn't afford the treatment (or diagnosis for that matter), and thus diabetes I gets slowly removed from the gene pool.

    --
    People say I'm crazy, I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes...
  10. RTFPR! by YeOldeGnurd · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Read the press release before complaining about a lack of details. The difference could not be explained by diet or exercise. This is one of many findings from the biggest darn health study I've ever heard of (and my wife is an epidemiologist, so I hear about every health study there is).


    The Harvard researchers have been following well over 100,000 health professionals for many years now. The participants provide the researchers with detailed reports on weight, fitness level, lifestyle, exercise, diet, and illness. While I wouldn't necessarily infer causality (it _might_ not be the coffee that reduces the risk of Type II Diabetes), there is certainly a very solid correlation between drinking lots of coffee and not coming down with diabetes.


    One more thing: The headline was highly misleading. The press release clearly states that there is also a benefit from decaffeinated coffee, although it seems to be less beneficial than caffeinated coffee. So don't think you need to double your Jolt intake or stock up on Penguin Mints. It's the coffee that's possibly helping you, not the caffeine.

    Maybe I'm just jealous because I quit caffeine for New Years after 25 years hooked on the stuff. That headache will be fading any day now. At least I sure hope it will.

    --
    ...Nothing interesting here. Just move along...
  11. coffee is very safe by sbma44 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    caffeine is pretty safe. It can aggravate a number of other conditions (ulcers, hypertension, etc) but its role in causing these conditions isn't clear. A lot of people assume it is -- the same way some people without hypertension avoid sodium. There may be some causality there, but if there is, it's a lot weaker than most people assume.

    Interestingly, caffeine also seems to have a neuroprotective effect when it comes to Parkinson's (here's an article even the most java-addled ./er should be able to get through).

    Also interesting: nicotine has an even stronger neuroprotective effect against Parkinson's. And what's really weird: smokers metabolize caffeine about twice as fast as nonsmokers (nobody's really sure why). Next time your pretentious smoker buddy starts bragging about how much coffee he cranks, you might mention this. He's got a biochemical advantage.

    I don't smoke, and I wouldn't advise doing it as part of your health regimen, but nicotine's interations with caffeine are kind of intriguing.

  12. Re:Diet Soda? -OT- by benzapp · · Score: 4, Interesting

    After 30 years of messing with people's diets, the average citizen is now keenly aware that the medical establishment doesn't know jack shit about what they should eat. People will try anything now.

    There is some truth to the Atkins diet, but its now some sick industry. People should just go back to eating the way we did 50 years ago. Just watch a 50's TV show sometime. Get some Depression era photographs. People LOOKED healthy back then. It is very clear.

    Remember, the same bureaucrats who created dietary guidelines also revolutionized the educational system and thought housing projects would eliminate poverty. The sad fact is diet fads are one of the last idealistic trends of the 1960's. Like everything else of that era, it was wrong and destructive.

    --
    I don't read or respond to AC posts
  13. Re:cool by RobinH · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I thought it was just that the coffee killed them off so fast they didn't have time to develop the diabetes...

    Actually, I suspect that most men who drink 6 cups of coffee a day are younger men, and age probably increases your risk of type II diabetes.

    It's like saying, "we've discovered that Canadians, Americans, and Mexicans have a much higher chance of living in North America than any other people on Earth!" See... your tax dollars at work.

    --
    "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain
  14. statistics abuse by obtuse · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The half-life of caffeine is around four hours. That's a more useful metric than "It takes two weeks for caffeine to completely leave your body."

    Sure the named side effects have been observed, in some individuals, at certain dosages.

    >stress, burning sensatiion

    What does that mean?
    "I'm too tense, and I'm on fire!"

    Just by combining those two items you demonstrate you aren't actually thinking about this.

    You forgot to mention that performance on IQ tests is enhanced in most people by caffeine.

    Aside from your misleading use of side effect literature and your poor understanding of caffeine's mechanism, (adrenal stimulation is only part of the picture, and tends to wear off more quickly than other effects.) I think your observation about anger is skewed.

    You're pissing me off with your sanctimonious attitude, and I haven't had caffeine in ages.

    --
    Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.