A new study has linked high blood caffeine levels with a reduced risk in health issues, including obesity and type 2 diabetes.
High blood caffeine levels may reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, a study has shown.
This comes after the study, published in BMJ Medicine, looked at the effect of higher blood caffeine levels on body weight and the longterm risks of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These included coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, and irregular heart rhythm.
The results of the study showed that higher genetically predicted blood caffeine levels were linked with lower body weight (BMI). It’s also linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
As a result, the researchers believe the results suggest the importance of exploring the potential for calorie-free caffeinated drinks in lowering the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
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‘Important insight’
The study was carried out by a collaboration of researchers from different institutions. These included Imperial College London, the University of Bristol, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, as well as Uppsala University in Sweden.
In addition, they used the Mendelian randomisation technique for the study. This uses genetic variants to investigate the causal relationship between a trait and an outcome.
Previous studies have suggested that three to five cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
However, these researchers have stated that the majority of previous studies have come from observational studies. This alone, they said, ‘cannot reliably establish casual effects’ due to other potential influential factors involved.
Dr Dipender Gill, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, is the senior author for the study. He said: ‘These findings offer important insight into the potential causal effect of caffeine on adiposity [obesity] and diabetes risk.
‘However, further clinical study is warranted before individuals should use these results to guide their dietary preferences.’
You can read the full study here.
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