Drinking tea, coffee daily can cut death risk

TRACKING______Drinking plenty of both green tea and coffee has been linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause among people with Type 2 diabetes. According to the findings of a new research published by online journal; ‘British Medical Journal’ (BMJ), Open Diabetes Research & Care, drinking four or more cups daily of green tea plus two or more of coffee was associated with a 63 per cent lower risk of death over a period of around five years.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar (glucose). With Type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin, or it resists insulin. However, people with Type 2 diabetes were more prone to circulatory diseases, dementia, cancer, and bone fractures. And despite an increasing number of effective drugs, lifestyle modifications, such as exercise and diet, remain a cornerstone of treatment. Previous studies suggested that regularly drinking green tea and coffee may be beneficial for health, because of the various bioactive compounds these beverages contain. Explaining the factors driving this trend, the researchers said green tea contained several antioxidant and antiinflammatory compounds, including phenols and theanine, as well as caffeine.

Similarly, coffee also contained numerous bioactive components, including phenols. But few of these studies had been carried out in people with diabetes. The researchers therefore decided to explore the potential impact of green tea and coffee, separately and combined, on the risk of death among people with the condition.

The new study involved 4,923 Japanese, who had been enrolled in The Fukuoka Diabetes Registry, a multicentre prospective study looking at the effect of drug treatments and lifestyle on the lifespan of patients with Type 2 diabetes. Among the participants were 2,790 men, 2,133 women with Type 2 diabetes. During the monitoring period, 309 people (218 men, 91 women) died. The main causes of death were cancer (114) and cardiovascular disease (76).

However, compared with those who drank neither beverage, those who drank one or both had lower odds of dying from any cause, with the lowest odds associated with drinking higher quantities of both green tea and coffee.