When someone is diagnosed with diabetes there are a lot of things that change such as lifestyle, daily habit and specifically, diet. Certain types of diabetes are considered as conditions that cannot be fully cured but diabetes could be managed, controlled and prevented as long as people are willing to change their lifestyle, daily habit and diet. However, do you know that though you know coffee may be bad to you but you shouldn’t give up on enjoying your morning coffee? It is because there are a lot of health benefits of coffee for diabetes that most people don’t know.
Coffee VS Diabetes
Before discussing about the health benefits of coffee for diabetes, there are certain things you should know first about the connection of coffee and diabetes. There are a lot of discussions that emphasized coffee to be bad for health. However, though probably the health benefits of quitting coffee is more than coffee could give for health benefit still some people may put themselves in a risk just for a cup of blissful morning coffee. Well, don’t blame coffee for all health problems you have because some recent studies about coffee showed positive impact in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. For the last 20 years, Harvard University has been conducted research regarding the possibility of coffee in preventing diabetes. The result showed that those who increase their coffee consumption may lower the risk of diabetes up to 11 percent while those who reduce their coffee consumption has higher risk of diabetes up to 17 percent.
Nutrients of Coffee
From the result mentioned above you could see that coffee is possible prevention toward diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes. However, the same studies showed that caffeine is not the one that causes it instead caffeine may be the main downturn of coffee. In one side, coffee may be beneficial for diabetic patients but in other side, coffee has its own downturn itself for diabetic patients. That’s why learning more about the health benefits of coffee for diabetes may help you understanding the role of coffee in preventing diabetes.
- Coffee Increases Insulin Resistance
All related studies about coffee and diabetes may show the same result that coffee able to increase the insulin resistance. However, at the same time, coffee also causes higher post-meal blood sugar. In other words, coffee may optimize the function of insulin but coffee could be dangerous for type 2 diabetes patient.
- Coffee Increases Body Tolerance
One of the health benefits of coffee related to diabetes is long term consumption of coffee may increase the body tolerance toward diabetes because coffee contains substances that could affect both glucose and insulin. This claim is matching with the research conducted by Harvard University that coffee may help reducing the risk of diabetes.
- Coffee Prevented Types 2 Diabetes
There are some types of diabetes but type 2 diabetes is the common case because it is closely related unhealthy diet. Those who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes their body responses differently toward insulin. However, in normal condition, coffee may cause higher amount of insulin, that’s why coffee could be used to prevent type 2 diabetes.
- Coffee Excellent Energy Booster
Some of the symptoms of diabetes are like sluggishness and sleepiness. Those conditions could lead to weight gain problems and the development of type 2 diabetes. Coffee is an excellent energy booster, so you always have energy to do activities and burn more calories.
- Coffee Contains Polyphenol
When talking about coffee, the first thing that crosses people’s mind is caffeine content. The fact is coffee also contains other nutrients and organic compound such as polyphenols which according to some studies are excellent in preventing diabetes and other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cancer.
- Minerals Found in Coffee May Help Lowering Blood Sugar
As mentioned in previous point, caffeine is not the only substance found in coffee. Coffee is also excellent sources of certain minerals such as potassium and magnesium. The main health benefits of potassium is getting rid of excessive sodium in blood stream to promote healthier heart and also beneficial in lowering blood sugar level.
- Coffee Lowers the Risk of Stroke
Stroke and heart attack are another complication commonly suffered by diabetic patients or the vice versa, those conditions may lead to diabetic condition. It is because the blood sugar level in your blood stream also affects the performance of cardiovascular system. If coffee could help lowering the risk of stroke, surely you can lower the risk of diabetes as well.
- Coffee Excellent Source of Antioxidant
Antioxidants are powerful substances strongly required by human body. Antioxidants have a lot of benefits for human and coffee is one of the excellent sources of antioxidant. Free radicals are not something you could deal with just by avoiding it but making sure your body is getting enough antioxidants are the best way to fight the worst effect of free radicals. Perhaps, there is no better or more delicious way to fight free radicals but a cup of delicious coffee.
Cautions of Coffee
When talking about coffee and diabetes, there are more studies that supported the fact that coffee may lower the risk of diabetes. However, don’t use that good news as reasons for you to enjoy it without consideration.
- As mentioned above, coffee may be good to prevent diabetes but due to its ability in affecting insulin, coffee could be dangerous for those who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
- There is one more type of diabetes, gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy. Don’t use the good news mentioned above as reason for pregnant mother to have coffee because caffeine in coffee could be the bad news for the fetus.
- Be careful with what you add to your coffee like sugar, syrup or dairy products that may increase the risk of diabetes instead of reduce it due to the amount of calories and carbohydrate.
If you are worrying about your morning coffee habit though the eight points about health benefits of coffee for diabetes as mentioned above have been supported by reliable research studies, perhaps you could consider to take decaffeinated coffee instead of regular. One more thing, there are a lot of types of coffee you could try, each of them has its own benefits like the health benefits of coffee with ganoderma, the combination of coffee and ganoderma may give more benefits than the regular one.