Coffee and type 2 Diebetes Mellitus

One of the main health benefits of drinking coffee is the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Presently, there have been nine major cohort studies into the association of coffee consumption and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, of these two thirds found an inverse correlation between the disease and coffee consumption. One study, which was carried out in the Netherlands , reported that in people who drank seven cups of coffee per day the rate of Diabetes Mellitus is reduced by 50%. Interestingly, despite it having the image of being the healthier drink there is no correlation between the consumption of tea and the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Coffee consumption and diabetis mellitus

One of the countries with the highest consumption of coffee is Finland ; many people in this country drink upwards of ten cups of coffee a day. It has been reported that woman who consume this quantity of coffee everyday have a 77% lower chance of developing diabetes than in Finish women who only drink 2 cups of coffee a day; for men there was a 55% lower chance of developing diabetes.

Interestingly, the inverse association between coffee consumption and the development of diabetes holds true for decaffeinated coffee; this strongly suggests that chemicals present in coffee other than caffeine may play a role in the prevention of the onset of the disease.

As there is no correlation between coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes in American coffee drinkers, it is put forward that the filtering of coffee removes the chemical (s) that are required for the prevention of diabetes; Finnish people tend to drink boiled coffee.

One of the reasons that coffee may be responsible for the prevention of the onset of diabetes mellitus is that caffeine increases metabolic rates in people for up to a day following consumption, this may lead to weight loss in comparison to a non-coffee drinker; there is a very strong relation between type two diabetes and obesity.

Scientific reasoning for reduction of type 2 diabetes mellitus in coffee drinkers

It is thought that one of the biochemical reactions that may be responsible for the inverse relationship between coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes mellitus may be the inhibition of Glucose-6-Phoshatase by chlorogenic acid. The terminal step in gluconeogenesis (the term used for the production of glucose in the body) is the hydrolysis of Glucose-6-Phosphatase to the single entities glucose and phosphate. This final step in the glucose pathway requires a couple of enzymes, one of which is a translocase protein; it has been scientifically proven that chlorogenic acid is able to act specifically to inhibit this protein and hence prevent the final steps of gluconeogenesis. In experiments in rats it has been shown that chlorogenic acid and other compounds that are found in coffee are able to slow down the absorption of glucose in the intestine; it is possible that this is one of the reasons for the reduction in type 2 diabetes found in coffee consumers. One of the additional substances in coffee that may help in prevention of the disease is magnesium, as, when present in large enough quantities his chemical element has been proven to decrease the likelihood of developing diabetes.

WHAT IS DIABETES MELLITUS?

WHAT IS DIABETES MELLITUS?

Diebetes Mellitus is a common metabolic endocrinopathy resulting from absolute or relative deficiency of insuline and leading to metabolic disturbance of carbohdrate, fat and protein. The disease is frequently followed by water-electrolyte imbalance and acid-base disturbance. According to the age of the patients, clinical manifestations and requirements for insulin, diabetes can be divided into many types. In Acupuncture, this disease is defined as 'xiao ke' which means diabetes.

CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS

1. The characteristics of a typical case of diabetes mellitus are often polyphagia, polydipsia, polyuria and loss of body weight. Early or asymptomatic patients only show abnormal release of cortical hormone and insuline inside the body. The level of fasting blood sugar is elevated with abnormal glucose tolerance test. Symptomatic patients are frequently complicated by other symptoms of dermal, neural and endocrinous disorders, besides polyphogia, polyuria and loss of body weight.

2. The main complications and concomitant diseases of diabetes mellitus are diabetic ketoacidosis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetic renopathy and peripheral neuropathy. Cardiovascular complications are the chief causes of death.

3. Diabetes mellitus is classified into juvenile and adult types according to the clinical features. The age of onset of the juvenile type is young and has a tendency to inheritance. Blood sugar fluctuates widely and is quite sensitive to insulin. Threatment is difficult and it is often named insulin-depending diabetes or unstable diabetes. The age of onset of adult type is above 40. This type is relatively mild and can be controlled by dietary restriction or oral antidiabetics. Therefore it is also named non- insulin depending diabetes or stable diabetes.

4. Accessory examination

a) Fasting blood-glucose is higher than 130 mg. Blood glucose after meal is more than 160-180 mg. Urine is positive for glucose. If complicated by ketosis, urine is positive for ketone bodies.

b) Glucose tolerance test can be used to diagnose early or suspected cases and is the principle test in diagnosis.

c) New diagnostic techniques such as testing blood insuline levels are quite helpful in understanding the pathological changes of pancreas and in obtaining information concerning treatment.

Do remember that doctors are continually researching the causes of diabetes mellitus.


Editors Note: A diabetes diet mellitus plan will be published shortly