Study: caffeine may reduce risk of obesity and diabetes

New study from scientists in Sweden and England found a possible link between high blood levels of caffeine and a reduced risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Scientists before identified association between coffee consumption and reduced risk of diabetes. But such studies were largely based on observational data, so they could only talk about the relationship of facts, and not about cause and effect. New data were obtained using the Mendelian randomization method. It allows you to check whether the presence of known genetic factors for one trait can directly affect the chances of a second trait.

In this case, the team focused on two common genetic variants associated with slower caffeine metabolism in humans. As a result, these people tend to have higher blood levels of caffeine, even though they consume less caffeine on average than other people.

By analyzing data from approximately 10,000 volunteers in other long-term studies, they tracked whether carriers of these genetic variants are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other factors risk.

It turned out that people who are genetically predisposed to high blood levels of caffeine are indeed less likely to have a high body mass index, a lot of body fat and type 2 diabetes. The scientists also calculated that people with a lower weight are 43% less likely to develop diabetes. But the links between these genetic variants and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease could not be identified.

The authors acknowledge that this study had limitations. In particular, all participants were European, so the results may differ for people of Asian origin, for example. It is also important to consider that although Mendelian randomization is usually suitable for identifying causal relationship between two factors is better than other types of research, it is also not perfect. In addition, there are earlier research of the same species, which found no association between caffeine consumption and reduced risk of diabetes.

But the results of the study should not be completely dismissed. There are mechanisms in the human body that make it clear exactly how drinking coffee can reduce the risk of diabetes and obesity. In particular, caffeine has a short-term effect on appetite and also increases the body's ability to burn fat and release energy.

The authors noted that new randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate whether non-caloric caffeinated drinks can help reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.