On average, one cup of coffee contains between 70 and 150 milligrams. caffeineand scientists believed that drinking three to five servings of coffee a day might reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. However, most research has so far been unable to reliably link caffeine to a reduced risk of developing diabetes, or separate its effect from other factors.
To overcome this problem, an international team of researchers from Sweden, the UK and Denmark used the method Mendelian randomization. They looked at how higher blood levels of caffeine affect body fat formation, as well as long-term risks of type 2 diabetes and major cardiovascular disease.
The researchers examined the role of two common genetic variants in the CYP1A2 and AHR genes in nearly 10,000 people of predominantly European descent who participated in six long-term studies. The CYP1A2 and AHR genes are associated with the rate of caffeine metabolism in the body.
People who metabolize caffeine more slowly have higher caffeine blood levels on average than people who metabolize caffeine at a high rate. The results of the analysis showed that such people have, on average, a lower body mass index, less body fat and a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But high levels of caffeine did not seriously affect the risk of cardiovascular disease.
As the researchers concluded in the results of the study, published In the magazine BMJ Medicine, it is well known that caffeine speeds up metabolism, increases fat burning and reduces appetite, which reduces the risk of obesity and at least partially reduces the likelihood of developing diabetes. Perhaps in the future, unsweetened caffeinated drinks might be an easy way to prevent these diseases.