by Since coffee, after water, is the most consumed liquid in the world, there are many studies that seek to answer the questions of coffee drinkers on a daily basis. It harms; It’s good? To sleep; How many cups of coffee can we drink a day? This time, a study was published in the journal BMJ Medicine, which says that high levels of caffeine in the blood are associated with a lower risk of diabetes and body fat.
A team of researchers from the Karolinska Institutet (Karolinska Institutet, in English) in Stockholm, Sweden, came to ease the conscience of those who drink coffee every day, revealing that high levels of caffeine in the blood can reduce the amount of body fat. , as well as the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Susanna Larsson, who led the study, explains that these results agree with other studies done in the past. There have already been small, short-term trials showing that caffeine consumption results in a reduction in weight and fat mass, as well as a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
In June 2018, a study was published that estimated that each cup of coffee consumed reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 7% per day. In the case of decaf, the price was almost the same: 6%. One cup contains between 70 mg and 150 mg of caffeine. A year earlier, in 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that three coffees a day reduced premature mortality by between 8 and 18%.
Despite the positive notes that coffee had in these studies, none of them guarantee that the observed effects are causal, that is, that there is a cause and effect. In 1991, the WHO placed coffee on the list of possible carcinogenic products. Years later, he reversed his decision, realizing that the higher incidence of cancer in coffee drinkers could be explained by other related habits, such as the tobacco that often accompanies coffee.
To try to overcome this problem, this group of researchers used genetic variants to assess the causative effect of a risk factor. In this study, they looked at the CYP1A2 and AHR genes, which determine how quickly our bodies process caffeine, in nearly 10,000 people of European descent. Those with one of these genetic variants have a slower metabolism and therefore coffee stays in the blood longer, so they drink less coffee.
Showing higher blood plasma caffeine concentrations, this contributed to a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) and less accumulated fat. The main reason for the reduced risk of diabetes is weight loss, which is caused by coffee’s ability to speed up metabolism and reduce appetite, among other properties.
However, this does not mean that coffee is now some kind of “magic bullet” for the prevention or treatment of diabetes, mainly because it does not lower blood sugar levels. The same reasoning applies to weight loss. It is estimated that a daily intake of 100 mg of caffeine increases energy expenditure by approximately 100 kcal per day, which could consequently reduce the risk of obesity. But it’s not just coffee that will help you lose weight. The only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that coffee, once again, has yet another study pointing to benefits rather than downsides.
