Drinking too much coffee every day can be bad for your health. From three cups daily, the risk of developing pre-diabetes (intermediate stage before diabetes) would be doubled in people who metabolize caffeine slowly and suffer from hypertension, such as obese or overweight people.
1,180 hypertensive but non-diabetic patients aged 18 to 45 were followed for six years by the team of Dr Lucio Mos, from San Daniele Cardiology Hospital, Italy. In the panel, 87% of coffee lovers drank one to three cups a day and 13% more than three.
At the end of the experiment, the scientists diagnosed pre-diabetes in 24% of the patients. While the risk was increased by 34% in moderate drinkers and 50% in heavy drinkers, a link was established between pre-diabetes and a slow metabolism of caffeine.
“Our study shows that coffee increases the risk of pre-diabetes in hypertensive young adults who slowly metabolize caffeine. The risk increases even more if patients are obese or overweight and they consume heavy coffee,” explains Dr Lucio Mos, quoted by the Daily Mail. Not everyone would be in the same boat when it comes to the effect of caffeine on pre-diabetes. Two factors come into play according to the study: the amount of caffeine absorbed and each person’s genetic history.
Conflicting studies
Researchers are divided on the health benefits / dangers to be attributed to coffee. In the scientific literature, it seems difficult to find the end of the story as the works contradict each other. The relationship between coffee and diabetes is a good illustration of this. A US-Singaporean study recommended drinking 3 cups of coffee per day for lower the risk of diabetes by more than a third. Who is telling the truth, the Italians or the Americans? Come on, let’s draw a straw!
