New research reveals increased coffee consumption may reduce severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in those with type 2 diabetes
- New scientific research suggests both caffeine and polyphenols in coffee may help to reduce the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among overweight participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D) 1.
- This is the first study to assess the potential independent mechanisms of both caffeine and non-caffeine components in reducing the severity of NAFLD, a frequent complication associated with T2D1.
Thursday 12th January 2023: A new study by the University of Coimbra, published in Nutrients, has revealed that caffeine, polyphenols, and other natural products found in coffee may help reduce the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among overweight people with type 2 diabetes (T2D)1.
NAFLD is a collective term for liver disorders caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. These can lead to liver fibrosis, which can progress to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer. NAFLD is not the result of excessive alcohol consumption, but is instead often the result of an unhealthy lifestyle with little exercise and a high-calorie diet.
Study participants with higher coffee intake had healthier livers. Subjects with higher caffeine levels were less likely to have liver fibrosis, while higher levels of non-caffeine coffee components were significantly associated with reduced fatty liver index scores. The study suggests that for overweight T2D patients, a higher intake of coffee is associated with less severe NAFLD1.
Researchers surveyed 156 middle-aged borderline-obese participants on their coffee intake, of which 98 subjects had T2D and provided 24-hour urine samples. This was used to measure caffeine and non-caffeine metabolites – the natural products of the body breaking down coffee. This methodology follows a recent shift to analysing urine rather than self-reported consumption, for more defined, quantitative data on coffee intake1.
Caffeine intake is associated with decreased liver fibrosis in NAFLD and other chronic liver conditions2-5. It has been suggested that other coffee components, including polyphenols, reduce oxidative stress in the liver, in turn reducing the risk of fibrosis6 as well as improving glucose homeostasis in both healthy and overweight subjects7,8. All these factors may also alleviate the severity of T2D.
Corresponding author of the study, John Griffith Jones, PhD., Senior Researcher in the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, commented: “Due to changes in modern diet and lifestyle, there is an increase in obesity rates and incidence of both T2D and NAFLD, which can ultimately develop into more severe and irreversible conditions, burdening healthcare systems. Our research is the first to observe that higher cumulative amounts of both caffeine and non-caffeine metabolites in urine are associated with a reduced severity of NAFLD in overweight people with T2D.”
This research study is published in Nutrients, titled: ‘Increased intake of both caffeine and non-caffeine coffee components is associated with reduced NAFLD severity in subjects with type 2 diabetes.’ It was sponsored by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC).
Readers interested in finding out more about coffee and health can visit: www.coffeeandhealth.org
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
- Moderate coffee consumption can be defined as 3–5 cups per day, based on the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) review of caffeine safety9.
- Read research overviews into the effect of coffee consumption on T2D and liver function on our website.
- ISIC press office team contact information: isic.kaizo@kaizo.co.uk.
Corresponding author
- John Griffith Jones, PhD., Senior Researcher in the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.
About the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology
The Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra (CNC-UC) is a scientific institute that fosters high-level biomedical and biotechnology research with societal impact, promotes multidisciplinary graduate training and provides specialised services to healthcare institutions and the entrepreneurial community. CNC-UC is committed to fundamental research and to translating it into clinical and/or marketable applications.
CNC-UC integrates the Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB) R&D Unit, a strategic partnership between CNC-UC and the Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR).
CNC-UC unites scientists from the Faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy and Sciences and Technology, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Coimbra, and from the Coimbra University Hospitals Center and the Portuguese Institute of Oncology. It is also a founding partner of the Biotechnology Park BIOCANT. These unique partnerships have fostered basic and applied science, graduate studies, technology transfer and academic/non-academic collaboration.
All information about CNC-UC is available at: https://www.cnc.uc.pt/en.
Follow CNC-UC on:
- Twitter: @cnc_uc
- Facebook: @CNC UC
- LinkedIn: @Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology
- Instagram: @cnc.uc
About ISIC
The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) is a not-for-profit organisation, established in 1990 and devoted to the study and disclosure of science related to “coffee and health.” Since 2003 ISIC also supports a pan-European education programme, working in partnership with national coffee associations in nine countries to convey current scientific knowledge on “coffee and health” to healthcare professionals.
ISIC’s activities are focused on:
- The study of scientific matters related to “coffee and health”
- The collection and evaluation of studies and scientific information about “coffee and health”
- The support of independent scientific research on “coffee and health”
- Active dissemination of balanced “coffee and health” scientific research and knowledge to a broad range of stakeholders
ISIC respects scientific research ethics in all its activities. ISIC’s communications are based on sound science and rely on scientific studies derived from peer-reviewed scientific journals and other publications.
ISIC members are six of the major European coffee companies: illycaffè, JDE Peet’s, Lavazza, Nestlé, Paulig and Tchibo.
About coffeeandhealth.org
The website www.coffeeandhealth.org is a science-based resource developed for healthcare and other professional audiences and provides the latest information and research into coffee, caffeine and health.
Follow us on Twitter: @coffeeandhealth
References
- Coelho, M. et al. (2022). Increased intake of both caffeine and non-caffeine coffee components is associated with reduced NAFLD severity in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Nutrients. Published online: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/1/4
- Molloy, J.W. et al. (2012). Association of coffee and caffeine consumption with fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and degree of hepatic fibrosis. Hepatol, 55:429-472.
- Soleimani, D. et al. (2019): Dietary patterns in relation to hepatic fibrosis among patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Diab, Metab Synd, Obesity, 12:315-324.
- Khalaf, N. et al. (2015). Coffee and caffeine are associated with decreased risk of advanced hepatic fibrosis among patients with hepatitis C. Clin Gastro & Hepatol, 13:1521-31.
- Shen, H.F. et al. (2016). Association between caffeine consumption and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systemic review and meta-analysis. Ther Adv Gastroenterol, 9:113-120.
- Salomone, F. et al. (2017): Molecular Bases Underlying the Hepatoprotective Effects of Coffee. Nutrients, 9(1):85
- van Dijk, A.E. (2009). Acute Effects of Decaffeinated Coffee and the Major Coffee Components Chlorogenic Acid and Trigonelline on Glucose Tolerance. Diab Care, 32:1023-1025.
- Inoue, M. and Tsugane, S. (2019): Coffee Drinking and Reduced Risk of Liver Cancer: Update on Epidemiological Findings and Potential Mechanisms. Curr Nutr Rep, 8(3):182-186.
- EFSA (2015). Scientific Opinion on the Safety of Caffeine, EFSA Journal, 13(5):4102.
JOURNAL
Nutrients
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Observational study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Increased Intake of Both Caffeine and Non-Caffeine Coffee Components Is Associated with Reduced NAFLD Severity in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes
Nitrite additives associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes
Nitrites and nitrates occur naturally in water and soil and are commonly ingested from drinking water and dietary sources. They are also used as food additives to increase shelf life. A study publishing January 17th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Bernard Srour of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN-CRESS) of Inserm, INRAE, Cnam, and Sorbonne Paris Nord University, Bobigny, France and colleagues suggests an association between dietary exposure to nitrites and risk of type 2 diabetes.
Some public health authorities have advocated for limiting the use of nitrites and nitrates as food additives. However, the role of dietary nitrites and nitrates in metabolic dysfunction and type 2 diabetes in humans remains unexplored. In order to investigate the relationship between dietary exposure to nitrites/nitrates type 2 diabetes risk, researchers accessed data collected from 104,168 participants in the prospective cohort NutriNet-Santé. The NutriNet-Santé study is an ongoing, web-based cohort study initiated in 2009. Participants aged fifteen and older enroll voluntarily and self-report medical history, sociodemographic, diet, lifestyle, and major health updates. The researchers used detailed nitrite/nitrate exposure, derived from several databases and sources, and then developed statistical models to analyze self-reported diet information with health outcomes.
The researchers found that participants in the NutriNet-Santé cohort reporting a higher intake of nitrites overall and specifically from food additives, and non-additives sources had a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. There was no association between nitrates and type 2 diabetes risk, and the findings did not support any potential benefits for dietary nitrites or nitrates in terms of protection against type 2 diabetes. The study had several limitations and additional research is required to validate the results. The data were self-reported and the researchers could not confirm specific nitrite/nitrate exposure using biomarkers due to the underlying biological challenges. Additionally, people in the cohort’s demographics and behaviors may not be generalizable to the rest of the population – the cohort included a greater number of younger individuals, more often women, who exhibited healthier behaviors. Residual confounding may also have impacted the outcomes as a result of the observational design of the study.
According to the authors, “These results provide a new piece of evidence in the context of current discussions regarding the need for a reduction of nitrite additives’ use in processed meats by the food industry, and could support the need for better regulation of soil contamination by fertilizers. In the meantime, several public health authorities worldwide already recommend citizens to limit their consumption of foods containing controversial additives, including sodium nitrite”.
Srour and Touvier add, “This is the first largescale cohort study to suggest a direct association between additives-originated nitrites and type-2 diabetes risk. It also corroborates previously suggested associations between total dietary nitrites and T2D risk.”
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In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Medicine: http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004149
Citation: Srour B, Chazelas E, Druesne-Pecollo N, Esseddik Y, de Edelenyi FS, Agaësse C, et al. (2023) Dietary exposure to nitrites and nitrates in association with type 2 diabetes risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study. PLoS Med 20(1): e1004149. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004149
Author Countries: France
Funding: see manuscript
JOURNAL
PLoS Medicine
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