Green tea and coffee consumption linked to lower mortality risk in diabetes

Adults with type 2 diabetes who drink green tea and coffee — especially in substantial amounts — may have reduced risk for all-cause death, according to a study in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care.

Nearly 5,000 adults in Japan with diabetes completed a dietary questionnaire and were followed for roughly 5 years. During that time, 309 participants died.

After multivariable adjustment, the risk for all-cause death decreased as consumption of green tea and coffee — both individually and together — increased. Participants who drank 4 or more cups of green tea or 2 or more cups of coffee daily had about a 40% reduced risk for death compared with those who did not drink the beverage. Participants who drank 4 or more cups of green tea plus 2 or more cups of coffee daily had a 63% reduced risk.

The authors note that the findings may not apply outside Japan in part because the composition of green tea may differ in other countries.