This coffee news will perk you up!
According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, consuming moderate amounts of coffee — defined as about three cups of coffee or tea a day — was associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and other cardiometabolic conditions.
The study also suggests a connection between other caffeinated beverages and a reduced risk of these diseases. However, experts caution that not all caffeinated drinks are equally beneficial for your health.
What The Study Says
The researchers utilized data from the UK Biobank, a vast database containing dietary information on over 500,000 individuals aged 37 to 73. They aimed to examine the relationship between caffeine consumption (through coffee, tea, or other sources) and the likelihood of developing multiple cardiometabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and coronary heart disease.
The study discovered that individuals who consumed moderate amounts of caffeine, equivalent to one to three cups of coffee or 100 to 300 milligrams daily, had a lower chance of developing any of the three cardiometabolic diseases compared to those who drank no caffeine or less than 100 mg a day. Notably, coffee drinkers saw their risk reduced by over 48%. Furthermore, moderate consumption of any type of caffeine resulted in a nearly 41% lower risk of developing these diseases.
So, Should You Drink Coffee?
Plenty of research shows there are benefits to caffeine consumption. In fact, several studies have suggested that consuming coffee regularly decreases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the long term. There is also research supporting coffee as an ergogenic aid (aka performance enhancer). One review of nine studies reported that drinking coffee before exercise improved endurance and decreased perceived exertion compared with a control group.
The bottom line is that although the methodology is strong and the results are in line with existing data about caffeine and heart health, there are still questions about the extent of the connection between the two. In other words, there may be other determining factors at work.
So, while the findings might be reassuring for regular coffee or tea drinkers, it’s not necessarily a green light to start consuming caffeine regularly,
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