There are a lot of options out there for you to reduce your risk of diabetes. Some people say altering your diet works. Others think you can take a miracle supplement. But new research shows a popular morning drink could be the easiest – and most effective – way.

The study was just published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. It comes from Dr. Ling Zheng, a top researcher of cellular biology at Wuhan University in China.

We want to let you know up front that Dr. Zheng’s research is the early stages. But it builds on earlier findings that show this drink may help prevent diabetes. Dr. Zheng has taken a look at that early research and he’s done his own studies to take it further. He tested three components in the drink. And he’s found one that really stands out.

Three Components Tested

The drink we’re talking about is coffee. The three components Dr. Zheng tested are caffeic acid, cholorgenic acid, and caffeine. And he tested them against abnormal protein deposits.

These deposits are found in people with type 2 diabetes. They can form from a substance called human islet amyloid polypeptide (HIAPP), which is found in the pancreas. Dr. Zheng figured that if the compounds can block HIAPP, they can stop the deposits from forming. And that would help prevent or treat diabetes.

He found caffeic acid to work the best out of the three. Caffeic acid isn’t related to caffeine. But it is a rich antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. There was one other thing that’s also worth mentioning. Decaffeinated coffee has higher levels of caffeic acid than caffeinated coffee. So the researchers think decaf coffee may give you better benefits.

Dr. Zheng’s research was all lab-based and his results are preliminary. But there’s plenty of evidence that shows coffee may help with diabetes.

One bit of evidence comes from a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. It shows that people who drink more coffee lower their risk of type 2 diabetes.

The Right Way to Drink

Dr. Zheng offers a tip that we’ve told you about before: If you drink coffee, make sure it’s black.

“The cream and sugar served with coffee” won’t help people with diabetes, he says.

But if you can’t stand drinking your coffee black…we have some options to help you.

The first thing you can do it use coconut milk as a creamer substitute. It’s loaded with healthy fats and it has a creamy flavor. If you don’t like coconut milk…you can always use almond milk instead.

The second thing you can do it cut sugar by using a little bit of honey or agave nectar instead. But it’s always best if you avoid adding all sweeteners to your coffee.

To your best health,

Michael Jelinek,

Managing Editor, NHD “Health Watch”