Coffee Polyphenols And Diabetes
Numerous studies maintain that there are certain polyphenols present in the diet that have antidiabetic properties, suggesting that they may be a dietary treatment for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it is known that there are coffee polyphenols that intervene in the regulation of blood glucose.
This drink has been demonized for many years. However, at present the benefits of its regular consumption are known, so it is recommended in the diet.
Properties and polyphenols of coffee
Coffee is obtained from the roasted and ground seeds of the fruits of the coffee plant (the coffee tree), as indicated in an article published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . It is one of the most consumed drink in the world and is composed of more than a thousand different chemical substances that include:
- Amino acids and other nitrogenous compounds.
- Polysaccharides and sugars.
- Triacylglycerols.
- Linoleic acid.
- Diterpenes (cafestol and kahweol). Unfavorable effects on total and LDL cholesterol levels in the blood have been attributed to them.
- Phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity (chlorogenic, caffeic, feluric and p-coumaric acid).
- Caffeine that reduces fatigue, increases alertness, memory and the ability to concentrate.
- Vitamins of the B complex and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.
Coffee consumption
Coffee has been considered a very important liquid in the diet, since it is one of the most consumed non-alcoholic beverages around the world. For example, Finland is the largest consumer of coffee in the market, followed by Brazil, which consumes 5.9 kg of coffee per capita.
The coffee bean-based drink is a mixture of numerous functional bioactive compounds that have a great impact on numerous health risk factors such as:
- Arterial hypertension.
- Dyslipidemia (specifically, low-density or LDL cholesterol).
- Insulin resistance and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
- Lastly, incidence of type 2 diabetes.
Coffee polyphenols and diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease that results from an alteration in insulin secretion or when the body does not use it effectively. It is a very prevalent disease that is accompanied by cardiovascular complications, retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, ulcers, and gangrene in the limbs.
The identification of dietary treatments is an area of interest and, within them, foods rich in polyphenols have been studied. It is suggested that the polyphenols in coffee lower the risk of diabetes and may improve its treatment.
What are polyphenols?
Polyphenols are phytochemicals that have phenol rings, according to research published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longetivity . Hundreds of polyphenols are present in foods of plant origin such as:
- Vegetables (mainly, broccoli, onion, pumpkin).
- Fruits (grapes, pears, apples, red berries).
- Legumes (soy).
- Drinks (wine, chocolate, coffee, beer).
Based on this, numerous foods and medications responsible for regulating energy metabolism have been studied. Among them, a widely studied food is coffee, whose scientific evidence shows that its consumption helps prevent chronic degenerative diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Impact of coffee polyphenols and diabetes: what is known?
Multiple components within coffee have been shown to have antidiabetic properties. For example, in a study published in the Journal of Nutrition by Battram et al in 2006, it was observed the way in which glucose decreases significantly after the consumption of decaffeinated coffee in order to assess the benefits of consuming coffee. coffee without its main component, caffeine.
On the other hand, chlorogenic acid (the second largest component in coffee), quinidines, and magnesium have been shown to affect glucose metabolism.
In a study published in the journal Nutrients , it was shown that the consumption of 400 ml of coffee (with 2.5 mmol of chlorogenic acid per liter) increased glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP;) and glugacon-like peptide 1 (GLP). -1); both hormones that stimulate insulin secretion.
Coffee polyphenols and cardiovascular risk factors
The high content of phenolic compounds present in coffee have shown a powerful antioxidant capacity that protects against atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction and arterial hypertension.
In a study published in the journal Nutrients in 2017, it was found that moderate coffee consumption (equivalent to 1-3 cups a day), which corresponds to a consumption of 101-337 mg / day of polyphenols, had a beneficial effect in cardiovascular risk factors:
- Decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
- Improvement of the lipid profile (lower concentration of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol).
- Reduction in the concentration of homocysteine; cardiovascular risk marker.
Consumption of coffee polyphenols for the prevention and treatment of diseases: importance of future studies
To conclude, coffee is one of the most consumed beverages throughout the world and has been shown to have numerous properties thanks to its bioactive compounds. Mainly, the effects of caffeine and polyphenols in coffee have been studied in numerous diseases.
Although the properties of numerous polyphenols present in food are known, it has been observed that coffee polyphenols regulate mechanisms of energy metabolism, mainly by mediating glucose concentration in the body.
However, human studies have shown inconsistent results, so future interventions are necessary to test theories and confirm or debate the antidiabetic effects of dietary polyphenols.
