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Posted on Jan 26, 2012, 6 a.m.
Chinese researchers reveal cellular mechanism by which heavy coffee drinkers are at a lower risk of developing type-2 diabetes.
Type-2 diabetes accounts for up to 95% of all diabetes cases in the world. Previous studies have suggested that people who drink four or more cups of coffee daily have a 50% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. And every additional cup of coffee brings another decrease in risk of almost 7%. B. Cheng, from Tongji School of Pharmacy (China), and colleagues have identified two categories of compounds in coffee that significantly inhibit the misfolding of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), posited to be a primary contributor to the onset of Type-2 diabetes. Specifically, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid present in coffee were observed to exert protective effects on islet cells. The study authors conclude that: "the beneficial effects of coffee consumption on [Type-2 diabetes] may be partly due to the ability of the major coffee components and metabolites to inhibit the toxic aggregation of [human islet amyloid polypeptide].”
Cheng B, Liu X, Gong H, Huang L, Chen H, Zhang X, Li C, Yang M, Ma B, Jiao L, Zheng L, Huang K. “Coffee Components Inhibit Amyloid Formation of Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide in Vitro: Possible Link between Coffee Consumption and Diabetes Mellitus.” J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Dec 28;59(24):13147-55.
