by Kelley Herring
More good news for coffee drinkers. Your cup o' joe just might help prevent diabetes and reduce inflammation.
A recent study published in Diabetes Care evaluated the effects of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee in relation to c-peptide - a marker of insulin secretion. Researchers at Harvard measured the c-peptide levels of 2,112 healthy women from the Nurses' Heath Study. Using a food frequency questionnaire, the researchers assessed the womens' coffee-drinking habits.
The researchers found that both decaffeinated and caffeinated coffee intake was inversely associated with c-peptide. In fact, women drinking more than 4 cups of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee a day had 16% lower c-peptide concentrations than those who drank no coffee at all. And for women who were overweight or obese, caffeinated coffee had a considerably stronger effect. In fact, caffeinated coffee reduced c-peptide by 27% in obese women and 20% in overwight women, as compared with just 11% in women with a normal weight.
So go ahead and enjoy that steamy cup of organic, shade-grown java. And if you like it on the sweet side, try a sprinkle of zero calorie, zero glycemic index stevia further benefit your blood sugar.