Drink Coffee, Avoid Diabetes?

December 14, 2009

Drink Coffee, Avoid Diabetes?

This was one headline I was grateful to read this morning. For one thing, the laugh was very welcome!

More Evidence Coffee, Tea Could Prevent Diabetes

From the abstract, this looks to be a review-lots-of-observational-studies study, looking at correlations. The general result? People who drink more coffee, decaf coffee, or tea* had “an inverse relationship” with people who get diabetes.

Naturally, since drinking coffee/tea isn’t seen as something all Right People Should Do Anyway[TM] (unlike, oh, being thin?) this isn’t being reported as “Of course you should drink coffee/tea anyway, this is just another reason.” In fact, there’s even statements like Reuter’s “Clinical trials are needed to investigate whether these beverages do indeed help prevent diabetes, the researchers say.”

But whether or not anything actually comes of this, I got a good giggle out of it.

*I assume they mean actual tea leaves, not herbal infusions.

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Diabetes, fluff, News

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Living 400lbs

I blog about what it’s like to be live life at about 400lbs. :)

19 responses to “Drink Coffee, Avoid Diabetes?”

HeatherJ

December 15, 2009 at 4:09 am

I don’t know about the US, but here in the UK (a nation of tea drinkers) it is well accepted that drinking tea is very good for you. That’s one habit of mine I can be glad of, anyway.

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HeatherJ

December 15, 2009 at 4:10 am

I mean ordinary, black tea. (Sorry for the double-posting!)

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JeninCanada

December 15, 2009 at 6:40 am

Hmm, guess I’ll keep up my once-a-day habit. ;)

Also, it’s um…snowing on your page. O_o Very pretty!

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Serenity

December 15, 2009 at 9:18 am

I have not had enough coffee yet to deal with a snowing computer screen, but–chug chug– oh there, isn’t that pretty, yes, nice touch. Another couple of cups and i should be able to look out the window at the real stuff that refuses to stop falling in my corner of the world.
Both my parents have diabetes so i will happily look at this coffee habit of mine as strictly medicinal, preventive medicine. :)

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Patsy Nevins

December 15, 2009 at 9:29 am

I hate coffee, but love tea, &, yes, they do seem to feel that tea…REAL tea, black, green, or white, from the leaves of the camelia sinensis…have many health benefits. They contain something called catechins, & antioxidants, in higher concentrations than many vegetables, & green tea at least has fluoride so may be protective to our teeth. I have read articles claiming benefits for the heart, controlling blood sugar, preventing cancer, & on & on. Whatever. I love my tea, & always find that drinking it brings me a lot of comfort & peace…&, for me, a cup of black tea with milk (no sugar, thank you) is exactly right with cookies, or cake, or chocolate.

BTW, though I am sure it is irrelevant, my fat long-lived female relatives also loved tea.

As for the snow, I only wish that it could be kept on the computer screen…where it belongs. I am in Maine, & my very rough, downhill-sloping driveway is a sheet of ice, with today a little coating of light snow on it, mixing with some rain to make it even more slippery. I am having to walk around inside the house for exercise, & am currently housebound, only getting out when my son virtually carries me to his car to do my shopping & laundry. I am working to keep busy & upbeat & not turn into one of those old ladies who scream “go away!” at the neighbors or call the police reporting an alien landing on the lawn. -:) For all of those who like winter…what the hell’s the matter with you, anyway?!!

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1. living400lbs
  
  December 15, 2009 at 10:40 am
  
  I am having to walk around inside the house for exercise, & am currently housebound, only getting out when my son virtually carries me to his car to do my shopping & laundry. I am working to keep busy & upbeat & not turn into one of those old ladies who scream “go away!” at the neighbors or call the police reporting an alien landing on the lawn. -:) For all of those who like winter…what the hell’s the matter with you, anyway?!!
  
  Ouch! I’m in Seattle, where snow is a rarity — but it’s easy to visit, since Seattle is between two mountain ranges. I certainly don’t mind it being “close but not here” most of the time! :)
  
  Reply
Patsy Nevins

December 15, 2009 at 12:09 pm

I think snow is easier to take for people for whom it is a rarity. We have years here where we never see bare ground for over 4 months at a time & some are icier than others. I can handle actual SNOW better than ice, especially since my older son gave me some ice grippers. But when everything is covered with a sheet of ice, it is virtually impossible for me to walk outside. The last thing I need is broken bones. So winter tends to be a tough time for me….emotionally, physically, & psychologically, & the period between late November & early January the hardest of all, because I still carry a lot of emotional scars & baggage from my abusive childhood about holidays & I have to make a conscious effort not to become depressed & to find things to enjoy & be as upbeat as possible for my granddaughter, for whom I care several days every week. In fact, she is one of the big things which gets me through this time of year.

The person I love most in the world is over 1500 miles away from me now…in Florida, of all grand ironies…& we are negotiating some very difficult times right now in his life as well as mine, so the winter/holiday stress is exacerbated by that. But I am hanging in & I will have my children & granddaughters with me Sunday for an early Christmas celebration, since THAT is the time frame which is convenient for my older son, who lives about 125 miles away & visits maybe four times in a year & manages by pleading great busyness & many commitments, to control the holiday observances. The ACTUAL holidays are reserved for his wife’s family. However, the fact is that seeing Eric four or five times in a year is more than enough. I have a close relationship with his brother & my little one, & I am appreciative of that.

And even I think that the first snowfall or two, before it turns to ice & gets black with filth, is pretty. :-)

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wriggles

December 15, 2009 at 12:12 pm

If you join it with this , it’s prevention is by making you fat.

Hey, what if the above is the literal truth?!

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1. living400lbs
  
  December 16, 2009 at 10:54 am
  
  Well, one should also keep in mind that “less risk” is not at all the same as “no risk”. :)
  
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the poor diabetic

December 15, 2009 at 2:53 pm

I grew up in Kenya a once British colony and we drank tea more than coffee but I would say that I had tea lots of time and still do guess that didnt catch coz I am a diabetic so throw that notion out the window with the other crock pot ideas people come up with.

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Patsy Nevins

December 15, 2009 at 4:07 pm

What wonderful comments there, even if there ARE only two. “In a land where people are eating themselves to death”…must be why we are gaining 4 months or so of average life expectancy every year, because we are ‘eating ourselves to death.” And of course the second comment quite predictably stated the old & erroneous assumption that anyone (even the genetically very thin?) will get fat by not eating/drinking in moderation. I really need to move into a cave & shut myself off from all media or else help my friend Frannie Zellman start the new country, Fatland.

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1. wriggles
  
  December 16, 2009 at 3:59 am
  
  Fatland. Can the capital be obecity?
  
  On second thoughts, not!
  
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S

December 15, 2009 at 5:13 pm

As someone who hates tea and coffee and has just been diagnosed with diabetes, I am not amused by this research.

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1. living400lbs
  
  December 16, 2009 at 7:52 pm
  
  That is understandable.
  
  I mostly thought it was funny due to the number of times I’ve had medical professionals tell me to lose weight (to avoid diabetes) and drink less coffee (to avoid ….?)
  
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Monthly Roundup (Nov & Dec) « Living ~400lbs

December 31, 2009 at 1:15 pm

[…] Drink Coffee, Avoid Diabetes? […]

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Kacie

January 3, 2010 at 4:59 am

I wonder if this means that mormons have a higher incidence of diabetes?

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1. living400lbs
  
  January 3, 2010 at 11:37 am
  
  If it’s true (as in, with a study controlling for family history, weight, etc, with placebos if possible) then that might be the case. Family history in particular is a big factor with diabetes.
  
  Reply
Diabetes Warning Signs

January 13, 2010 at 10:51 am

I prefer tea. Coffee to prevent diabetes? Is it for real? My folks advise me to drink less or none coffee coz they said it’s not good for my health. I easily get migraine if I drank it. Not sure why. I keep myself away from coffee since then. :-(

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June 11, 2010 at 6:14 am

[…] at Lunch? Posted on June 11, 2010 by Living 400lbs The “coffee drinkers are less likely to have diabetes” idea has popped up again, this time focused on those who have coffee with lunch. From the […]

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