If you love coffee, here is some good news for you. Researchers have found that coffee can help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes - but only filtered coffee and not the boiled coffee.
The study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, shows that the choice of preparation method of coffee influences its effect on health.
The findings from Chalmers University of Technology and Umea University in Sweden, offer new insight into this connection, using a novel method to help differentiate between the effects of filtered coffee and boiled coffee.
"We have identified specific molecules - 'biomarkers' - in the blood of those taking part in the study, which indicate the intake of different sorts of coffee. These biomarkers are then used for analysis when calculating type 2 diabetes risk," said study researcher Rikard Landberg, Professor at Umea University.
"Our results now clearly show that filtered coffee has a positive effect in terms of reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But boiled coffee does not have this effect," Landberg added.
With the use of these biomarkers, the researchers were able to show that people who drank two to three cups of filtered coffee a day had a 60 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who drank less than one cup of filtered coffee a day.
Consumption of boiled coffee had no effect on the diabetes risk in the study.
According to the researchers, many people wrongly believe that coffee has only negative effects on health. This could be because previous studies have shown that boiled coffee increases the risk of heart and vascular diseases, due to the presence of diterpenes, a type of molecule found in boiled coffee.
"But it has been shown that when you filter coffee, the diterpenes are captured in the filter. As a result, you get the health benefits of the many other molecules present, such as different phenolic substances. In moderate amount, caffeine also has positive health effects," Landberg said.
Rosewater is your skin and hair's best friend
High heels might affect women's bone health
Neck pain problems on a rise due to Work From Home during lockdown