Type-II diabetes, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, is linked to obesity and lack of exercise. It causes the body to lose its ability to use insulin properly to metabolize food, especially sugar. Type-I or juvenile diabetes is a different disease caused by the destruction of key pancreatic cells.
In a recent study of 14,600 people, it was found that women who downed 10 or more cups a day had nearly an 80 percent lowered risk, while men who drank the same cut their risk by 55 percent.Harvard researchers said a look at 125,000 people found men who drank six cups a day cut their diabetes risk by half over 12 to 18 years, while women who drank that amount had a 30 percent lowered risk. "This study revealed unequivocal evidence for an inverse and graded association between coffee consumption and type-II (diabetes) independent of other risk factors," said researchers. They said the reasons for the apparent beneficial effects remain unclear, though it was possible that chlorogenic acid in coffee may indirectly help regulate blood glucose levels.
The American Heart Association has said that studies looking at a direct link between caffeine, coffee drinking and heart disease have produced conflicting results but that moderate consumption, which it defines as one or two cups per day, does not seem harmful.
