Coffee and tea could reduce diabetes risk.

DRINKING more coffee and tea may reduce the risk of diabetes. Analysis of currently available research on the matter indicates so.

University of Sydney researchers, who did the analysis, published their research in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine . The analysis included 18 studies, published between 1966 and 2009, involving 457,922 people to assess the association between coffee consumption and diabetes risk. Six studies, involving 2,25,516 people, also included information about decaffeinated coffee, while seven studies, with 2,86,701 people, reported on tea consumption.

Each additional cup of coffee consumed in a day was associated with a 7 per cent reduction in the risk of diabetes.

People who drank three to four cups per day had an approximately 25 per cent lower risk of diabetes than those who drank between zero and two cups per day.

Among those who consumed decaffeinated coffee, those drinking more than three to four cups per day had about a onethird lower risk of diabetes than those who drank none.

Those who drank more than three to four cups of tea had a one- fifth lower risk than those who drank no tea.

Indian diabetologist Dr Anoop Misra said the conclusions of this study have been previously suggested by various investigators.

However, most of such studies, including the present study, are based on retrospective data. For conclusive results, a clear trial dividing people in groups -- one is given tea/ coffee and the other is not given tea/ coffee -- over several years should be done.

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