A study published in the International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences shows that drinking coffee may lower blood sugar and uric acid levels in type 2 diabetic patients.
For the study, 200 people drank three to four cups of filtered coffee made of roasted coffee beans and chicory each day for more than 16 years. Of the 90 participants who were diabetics, 48 were coffee drinkers. Blood tests showed that non-diabetic patients experienced an average 5% decrease in blood sugar levels and 10% decrease in uric acid levels over the course of the 16 years. The diabetic coffee drinkers experienced even greater results; they had lowered their average uric acid levels by nearly 15% and blood sugar levels by 20%.
Studies have shown a link between high uric acid levels and insulin resistance, or the body’s inability to process insulin. By lowering levels of this chemical, as well as blood sugar (another risk factor when it’s high), coffee helped to improve insulin sensitivity, the researchers wrote.
