Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Are there associations between coffee consumption and glucose tolerance in elderly subjects?

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 60, pages 1222–1225 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To describe the associations between coffee consumption and glucose tolerance among elderly subjects.

Design:

A survey among an unselected non-institutionalized elderly population. Diabetes was assessed on the basis of self-reports and 2-h oral glucose tolerance test for the subjects on diet treatment or with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Coffee consumption was assessed by a questionnaire.

Setting:

Three municipalities in Northern Finland Subjects: All non-institutionalized subjects with baseline normal glucose tolerance or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) aged 70 years or over.

Main outcome measures:

Incidence, persistence or impairment of abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT).

Results:

Forty-two percent of those with NGT and 0–5 cups of coffee daily developed AGT, whereas the corresponding figure was 25% for those who drank more than five cups coffee daily. Fifty-five percent of the subjects with IGT or NGT who drank 0–5 cups coffee daily either persisted in IGT or developed AGT. The corresponding figure was 30% for those drinking more than five cups coffee daily. After adjustment for age, body mass index, cardiovascular disease, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical exercise, among those with NGT, the odds ratio (OR) for developing AGT was 2.3 for those drinking 0–5 cups compared to those drinking more than five cups of coffee daily (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7–7.2). Correspondingly, low coffee consumption was the most powerful predictor associated with the persistence of IGT or the development of AGT (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.2–6.9).

Conclusions:

Low coffee consumption predicts impairment of AGT or persistence of IGT among elderly subjects.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agardh EE, Carlsson S, Ahlbom A, Efendic S, Grill V, Hammar N et al. (2004). Coffee consumption, type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in Swedish men and women. J Intern Med 255, 645–652.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Alberti JKG, Zimmett PZ, for the WHO consultation, Definition, diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus and its complications (1998). Part 1: Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Provisional report of a WHO consultation. Diabetes Med 15, 539–553.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feskens EJM (1992). Nutritional factors and the etiology on non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: an epidemiological overview. World Rev Nutr 96, 1–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiltunen L, Läärä E, Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi S (1999). Changes in glucose tolerance during three years' follow-up in an elderly population. Public Health 113, 181–184.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hiltunen L, Luukinen H, Koski K, Kivelä S-L (1994). Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in an elderly Finnish population. Diabetes Med 11, 241–249.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu FB, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Colditz G, Liu S, Solomon CG et al. (2001). Diet, lifestyle, and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. N Engl J Med 345, 790–797.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ohlson L-O, Larsson B, Björntorp P, Eriksson H, Svärdsudd K, Welin L et al. (1988). Risk factors for type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. Thirteen and one-half years of follow-up of the participants in a study of Swedish men born in 1913. Diabetologia 31, 798–805.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salazar-Martinez E, Willet W, Ascherio A, Manson J, Leitzman M, Stampfer M et al. (2004). Coffee consumption and risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Ann Intern Med 140, 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuomilehto J, Hu G, Bidel S, Lindstrom J, Jousilahti P (2004). Coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among middle-aged Finnish men and women. JAMA 291, 1213–1219.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dam RM, Feskens EJ (2002). Coffee consumption and risk of diabetes mellitus. Lancet 360, 1477–1478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health Science and General Practice, University of Oulu, Oulun yliopisto, Finland

    L A Hiltunen

  2. Oulu University Hospital, Unit of General Practice, Oulu, Finland

    L A Hiltunen

  3. Health Centre of Oulu, Oulun kaupunki, Finland

    L A Hiltunen

Authors
  1. L A Hiltunen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L A Hiltunen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hiltunen, L. Are there associations between coffee consumption and glucose tolerance in elderly subjects?. Eur J Clin Nutr 60, 1222–1225 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602441

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602441

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links