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While most people categorise themselves as either a coffee or tea person, a study published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care showed it could benefit your health and even boost longevity, by being both. A team of researchers from Japan analysed the effects of green tea and coffee consumption among nearly 5,000 diabetic adults.
They observed the risks of premature death were the lowest among participants who drink both four cups of tea and two cups of coffee every day.
The benefits of drinking tea and coffee daily in moderation are well-known.
The drinks have been shown to regulate weight, optimise your metabolism and to boost brain health.
But the new study is one of the first to look at the health effects on diabetics who consume both drinks daily.
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As part of the study, which ran over five years, the researchers provided questionnaires to the participants who had enrolled in The Fukuoka Diabetes Registry.
The questions involved diet and lifestyle topics, including how much participants exercised, whether they smoked, how much they slept, and how much green tea and coffee they consumed on a daily basis.
By the end of the study, 309 participants had died.
The study concluded those who’d rank one cup of green tea everyday had a 15 percent lower chance of early death, and those who drank two to three cups had a 27 percent lower chance.
Drinking four cups had a 40 percent lower chance of early death.
When it came to coffee, drinking one cup per day was observed to have a 19 percent lower chance of death, and those drinking two cups of coffee per day were linked with 41 percent lower odds of early death.
The people with the lowest odds of early death were those who’d rank four cups of green tea and two cups of coffee every day.
The researchers conceded: “We found that higher green tea and coffee consumption was significantly associated with decreased all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes.”
They noted the findings account for other lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise and other lifestyle choices.
“This association remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders: the impact of each beverage on mortality was independent,” they added.
British Heart Foundation (BHF) dietician Victoria Taylor says drinking four or five cups of tea or coffee a day “should be fine for most people”, particularly when it comes to heart health.
She says: “Research shows that this level of caffeine intake shouldn’t be detrimental to your heart health, affect your cholesterol levels or heart rhythm.
“Although drinking coffee has been shown to increase blood pressure, this effect is usually temporary and is minimised over time if you drink caffeinated drinks regularly.
“Some people are more sensitive to caffeine and can experience palpitations.
“If this is you, then it’s sensible to avoid caffeine.
“Remember that caffeine is found in quite a few sources including: tea, green tea, coffee, energy drinks, cola and chocolate.”
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