Coffee can slash diabetes risk if you make key change, claims expert
Type 2 diabetes risk is influenced by a number of factors, but making one simple change to your diet could help to significantly decrease the odds of developing the condition
The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is largely influenced by diet and lifestyle. While there are other genetic and lifestyle factors at play, making simple changes to your diet can significantly reduce the risk of developing this disorder. And Diabetes UK has made a somewhat surprising suggestion.
The charity advises swapping fruit juices for tea or coffee. Ideally, if you can enjoy these hot drinks without adding extra sugar, it could help lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. Fruit juices may seem like a healthier option than a cup of coffee, but many popular brands contain high levels of free sugars added by manufacturers.
Even natural fruit juices without added sugars can still contain significant amounts of free sugars due to the fructose in the fruit. The diabetes experts still recommend consuming whole fruits like apples, grapes and berries, while avoiding their juiced counterparts.
Consuming whole fruits provides fibre, which slows down the body's absorption of fructose, thus preventing the sugar spikes caused by fruit juices.
The link between sugar-laden fizzy and energy drinks and chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes is well-documented, but weaning off the caffeine fix is rarely easy.
For those who find unsweetened tea or coffee lacking as a replacement can try opting for low calorie or no added sugar variants of your beloved beverages to satisfy the craving without increasing your diabetes risk.
Diabetes UK has chimed in with some helpful advice, noting: "Any amount of weight loss can help, research shows losing even 1kg can help to reduce your risk."
Keeping an eye on your waist size is crucial for gauging the risk of type 2 diabetes, as it indicates how much fat you're packing around your pancreas and its potential impact on insulin function.
Helpfully, Diabetes UK provides benchmarks for healthy waist measurements. But let's not forget that some risk elements are out of our hands.
People of African Caribbean, Black African, or South Asian descent, and those with relatives who have type 2 diabetes are statistically at a greater disadvantage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Penallta parkrun set to host diabetes awareness event
Donna, a dietitian with type 1 diabetes, and Karen, a respiratory nurse, helped to organise an event at the Penallta parkrun on Saturday, June 21. The event is a partnership between Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Diabetes UK, and parkrun. They want to raise awareness of the illness, especially among the 8 per cent of adults with the condition in Gwent. Diabetes can lead to serious complications, including disability and death. Donna, who manages Community Dietetics at the Health Board and lives with type 1 diabetes, said: "I cannot wait to do the full parkrun at Penallta on the 21st June in support of Diabetes." Karen balances her roles as a grandmother and respiratory nurse, with helping out at her local parkrun. (Image: Aneurin Bevan University Health Board) She said, "I'd encourage anyone to go to their local parkrun, meet new people, get a bit fitter and live a longer, healthier life." Professor Tracy Daszkiewicz, director of public health for Gwent, said: "We are delighted to collaborate with Diabetes UK and parkrun to raise awareness about diabetes across Gwent".
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Daily Record
Inspiring Scot with chronic illness completes Edinburgh Marathon while vlogging experience
The inspiring runner completed the marathon with type one diabetes. An inspiring Scot completed the Edinburgh Marathon while vlogging about the challenges of a chronic illness. Callum, who has type one diabetes, completed the marathon on Sunday. He was diagnosed with the condition after he drastically began losing weight and his eyesight "fell off a cliff". The influencer shared his story on TikTok, saying: "But here I am today - the fittest I've ever been, probably the healthiest I've ever been aside from having type one diabetes." Type one diabetes is a condition where the body cannot produce insulin, the hormone which breaks down sugar to use as energy. Edinburgh Live reports that as a result, blood sugar levels become too high in the blood and lead to complications. Throughout his impressive four-hour marathon race, his blood sugar ranged from low to high - showcasing the daily ups-and-downs that come with living with type one diabetes. For healthy individuals, normal fasting blood sugar levels are between 4.0 to 5.4 mmol/L, and up to 7.8 mmol/L two hours after eating, according to Diabetes UK. Callum's ranged from 11.1 mmol /L to much lower. When Callum was 33km into the race, he shared an update when his blood sugar was at 4.5 mmol/L. He said: "Thirty-three kilometers in, blood sugar still dropping, so I'm just going to walk for a bit to see if I can level this out because I've had so much sugar. Still not going up." He completed the race with a time of around four hours, saying: "That was tough" upon crossing the finish line. The video garnered over 46,000 views in less than 24 hours. Callum has previously posted on social media saying "Doing any type of long distance running when you have type one diabetes can be pretty annoying due to the amount of extra stuff you have to bring. "The main things to bring with you are a ton of emergency sugar and to make sure you're carrying your insulin pen with you." He added in his post: " Edinburgh Marathon 2025 with my blood sugar levels throughout. "I met a lot of other people with type one diabetes as well as a lot of people raising money for it which is always amazing to see. "It really was a four season kind of day from beautiful sunshine to really heavy winds to rain and hailstones at one point which were absolutely awful. Still good, still happy. I ran a marathon with type one diabetes."
Edinburgh Live
7 days ago
- Edinburgh Live
Man with a chronic illness completes Edinburgh Marathon while vlogging his experience
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A man with a chronic illness completed the Edinburgh Marathon while vlogging about the challenges of undertaking the massive challenge. Callum, an influencer with type one diabetes, posts videos online about living with the illness. He was diagnosed with type one diabetes when he began drastically losing weight and his eyesight "fell off a cliff" and he suddenly could not "read the number plate in front of him". The influencer shared his story on TikTok, saying "But here I am today - the fittest I've ever been, probably the healthiest I've ever been aside from having type one diabetes." Type one diabetes is a condition where the body cannot produce insulin, the hormone which breaks down sugar to use as energy. As a result, blood sugar levels become too high in the blood and lead to complications, according to the NHS. On Sunday, May 25, he completed the 26-mile Edinburgh Marathon and shared a vlog about completing the enormous physical effort while sharing his blood sugar levels every five kilometers. Throughout his impressive four-hour marathon race, his blood sugar ranged from low to high, showcasing the daily ups-and-downs that come with living with type one diabetes. For healthy individuals, normal fasting blood sugar levels are between 4.0 to 5.4 mmol/L, and up to 7.8 mmol/L two hours after eating, according to Diabetes UK. Callum's ranged from 11.1 mmol/L to much lower. When Callum was 33km into the race, he shared an update when his blood sugar was at 4.5 mmol/L, saying: "Thirty-three kilometers in, blood sugar still dropping, so I'm just going to wlak for a bit to see if I can level this out because I've had so much sugar. Still not going up." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. He completed the race with a time of around four hours, saying "That was tough" upon crossing the finish line. The video garnered over 46,000 views less than 24 hours. Callum has previously posted on social media saying "Doing any type of long distance running when you have type one diabetes can be pretty annoying due to the amount of extra stuff you have to bring. The main things to bring with you are a ton of emergency sugar and to make sure you're carrying your insulin pen with you." On his post from the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday, he posted with the caption: "Edinburgh Marathon 2025 with my blood sugar levels throughout. "I met a lot of other people with type one diabetes as well as a lot of people raising money for it which is always amazing to see. "It really was a four season kind of day from beautiful sunshine to really heavy winds to rain and hailstones at one point which were absolutely awful. Still good, still happy. I ran a marathon with type one diabetes."
