Your morning “cup of Joe” may do more than deliver the jolt you need to get going — it may also help you stave off type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. But, before you pour yourself a second cup know this: The study authors said their research was done with cell cultures and there’s no proof yet that coffee has any ability to keep type 2 diabetes at bay.
The researchers have identified immune system antibodies in people who are obese and insulin-resistant that aren’t present in people who are obese without insulin resistance. They also tested a drug that modifies the immune system in mice fed a fatty diet, and found that the medication could help maintain normal blood sugar levels.
Southeastern States Mired in the ‘Diabetes Belt’: CDC Report
Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have discovered that a wide swath across mostly southern U.S. states has diabetes rates above 11 percent, compared to 8.5 percent for the rest of the country.
Image via CDC.gov
They calculated that a sedentary person who changed his or her behavior and started walking 10,000 steps every day would achieve a threefold improvement in insulin sensitivity, compared with a similar person who walked 3,000 steps a day, five days a week.