It has been known in prior studies that coffee and tea may have an effect on diabetes risk. But new research suggests that even drinking decaffeinated coffee may also reduce risk of developing diabetes. The study indicated that decaffeinated coffee may be helping improve energy metabolism in the brain that is associated with type 2 diabetes. Findings of the research can be found on the online publication of Nutritional Neuroscience.
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine sought out to discover whether intake of a standard decaffeinated coffee before diabetes onset can improve insulin resistance and how glucose is utilized in mice with diet-induced type 2 diabetes. The research team gave the mice a decaffeinated supplement for a period of five months and then evaluated the brain’s genetic response in the tested rodents.
The researchers discovered that their brains were able to effectively metabolize glucose and use it as cellular energy. It is known that the brain’s ability to metabolize glucose is impaired in people with type 2 diabetes.
According to Dr. Giulio Maria Pasinetti, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the lead author of the study, “Impaired energy metabolism in the brain is known to be tightly correlated with cognitive decline during aging and in subjects at high risk for developing neurodegenerative disorders.”
“This is the first evidence showing the potential benefits of decaffeinated coffee preparations for both preventing and treating cognitive decline caused by type 2 diabetes, aging, and/or neurodegenerative disorders,” Dr. Pasinetti further added.
The new findings indicate that non-caffeine components found in coffee may provide some health benefits in mice which may also hold true for people. The researchers may further explore on the possible preventive role of decaffeinated coffee if used as a supplement in humans.
Source: Mount Sinai Medical Center (2012, February 1). Decaffeinated coffee may help improve memory function and reduce risk of diabetes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 9, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201092316.htm
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