Significant daily consumption of green tea and coffee reduces mortality in type 2 diabetics by 63%. This conclusion was reached by Japanese scientists, whose research results were published in the BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care journal.
In the Fukuoka Diabetes Registry study, which aims to assess the impact of medication and lifestyle choices on the mortality rate of patients with type 2 diabetes, scientists from Kyushu University, led by Yuji Komorita, revealed how the consumption of green tea and coffee correlates, both separately, and together, with the risk of death from all causes among the project participants.
The experiment involved 2,790 men and 2,133 women, with an average age of 66 years and with diabetes at least five years.
All study participants filled out a questionnaire, where they provided information about their lifestyle. In addition to items about regular exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, and the number of hours of sleep, the researchers also included questions about how many cups of green tea and coffee the patients drank per day.
In order to correct risk factors, participants measured their height, weight and blood pressure, took blood and urine tests.
It turned out that 607 participants did not drink green tea at all, 1143 drank one cup a day, 1384 – two or three cups, and 1784 – four or more. 994 participants did not drink coffee, 1306 drank less than one cup a day, 963 had a cup every day, and 1660 had two or more cups.
The observations lasted five years, during this period 309 people died. The main causes of death were cancer and cardiovascular diseases – 114 and 76 people, respectively. The lowest mortality rates were demonstrated by those who drank a lot of green tea and coffee.
The results showed that drinking four or more cups of green tea daily, plus two or more cups of coffee, reduced the risk of death by 63%.
The authors of the article suggested that “the combined action of these two drinks enhances the effect.”
According to the researchers, the health benefits of these two drinks are due to the fact that green tea contains several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, including phenols, theanine and caffeine, while coffee contains many bioactive compounds, including phenols. Caffeine is believed to have a positive effect on insulin production and improve insulin sensitivity.
On October 13, a member of the National Association of Dietitians and Nutritionists, nutritionist Marina Makisha named the products, the use of which accelerates the aging of the body. In particular, foods containing white flour, sugar, starch, that is, refined carbohydrates, can trigger the development of diabetes mellitus and accelerate the aging of the body.