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http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/140/1/1

Coffee Consumption and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Eduardo Salazar-Martinez, MD, PhD; Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPH;
Alberto Ascherio, MD, DrPH; JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH; Michael F.
Leitzmann, MD, DrPH; Meir J. Stampfer, MD, DrPH; and Frank B. Hu, MD,
PhD

Background: In small, short-term studies, acute administration of
caffeine decreases insulin sensitivity and impairs glucose tolerance.

Objective: To examine the long-term relationship between consumption
of coffee and other caffeinated beverages and incidence of type 2
diabetes mellitus.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: The Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals' Follow-up
Study.

Participants: The authors followed 41 934 men from 1986 to 1998 and 84
276 women from 1980 to 1998. These participants did not have diabetes,
cancer, or cardiovascular disease at baseline.

Measurements: Coffee consumption was assessed every 2 to 4 years
through validated questionnaires.

Results: The authors documented 1333 new cases of type 2 diabetes in
men and 4085 new cases in women. The authors found an inverse
association between coffee intake and type 2 diabetes after adjustment
for age, body mass index, and other risk factors. The multivariate
relative risks for diabetes according to regular coffee consumption
categories (0, <1, 1 to 3, 4 to 5, or 6 cups per day) in men were
1.00, 0.98, 0.93, 0.71, and 0.46 (95% CI, 0.26 to 0.82; P = 0.007 for
trend), respectively. The corresponding multivariate relative risks in
women were 1.00, 1.16, 0.99, 0.70, and 0.71 (CI, 0.56 to 0.89; P <
0.001 for trend), respectively. For decaffeinated coffee, the
multivariate relative risks comparing persons who drank 4 cups or more
per day with nondrinkers were 0.74 (CI, 0.48 to 1.12) for men and 0.85
(CI, 0.61 to 1.17) for women. Total caffeine intake from coffee and
other sources was associated with a statistically significantly lower
risk for diabetes in both men and women.

Conclusions: These data suggest that long-term coffee consumption is
associated with a statistically significantly lower risk for type 2
diabetes.

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Authors interests:

Walter Willett, M.D., Chair, department of nutrition, Harvard School
of Public Health. Less than 5 percent of his budget comes from the
citrus growers and the Prune Board. (Nat. Public Radio, "Morning
Edition," 5/17/00) Research on a prospective study of fruit and
vegtable consumption and the risk of lung cancer supported in part by
the Florida Citrus Growers. (J. Natl. Can. Inst. 2000;92:1812-23)

JoAnne E. Manson, Harvard Medical School. Paid consultant to
Interneuron, maker of obesity drug Redux (fenfluramine) for several
months in 1995. (New York Times, 8/29/96; Lingua Franca, June/July,
1997; p. 54)

Meir Stampfer, M.D., Dr.P.H., Department of Epidemiology, Harvard
School of Public Health, Boston, MA. "One of industry's six scientific
expert witnesses, [Dr. Stampfer] was paid by Verizon Wireless to write
the Food and Drug Administration and . . . bring to the agency's
attention epidemiology studies that had been conducted to date . . .
[H]as been paid $80,000 to date by the cellular industry for help with
the Newman Case [the $800 million lawsuit brought by Christopher
Newman against Motorola Inc., wireless service providers, and the
Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association]." (RCR Wireless
News, 03/04/02, p. 1)

My comments:

Would it not be reasonable to consider that, generally, people who
drink large amounts of coffee are not in the same group as those who
drink large amounts of junk-carb-packed soda.

Hence the lower risk of diabetes.

Would be interesting to know what the statistical risks of type 2
diabetes would be regarding the consumption of various junk
carbohydrates in the diet.

Considering that there has been a great deal less controversy
regarding coffee and diabetes than junk carbs and diabetes, makes you
wonder why this analysis was even done, and why the carb/diabetes risk
connection has not been more closely studied.

TC