Changes in coffee intake and subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes in women

Epidemiological data have consistently found an inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). It is unclear whether changes in coffee consumption are associated with subsequent risk of T2D. Therefore, we analyzed whether 4‐year changes in coffee and tea consumption predicted subsequent risk of T2D among 48,721 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (1986–2006) who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline. Diet was assessed using a validated FFQ and updated every 4 years. We documented 3482 cases of T2D during 20 years of follow‐up. In Cox proportional hazards regression analyses, adjusting for baseline and 4‐year changes in dietary and lifestyle variables, we found that women who decreased their coffee intake by 1 serving/day, over a 4‐year period, had a 17% higher risk for T2D (RR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.06–1.30) compared to those who made no changes in coffee consumption. Conversely, those who increased their coffee intake by 1 serving/day had a 13% lower risk for T2D (RR=0.87, 95% CI: 0.77–0.99). We did not observe any significant associations between changes in tea intake and T2D. There was no evidence that these associations were modified by baseline coffee/tea intake, changes in smoking status, body weight, hypertension, or high cholesterol. Our data provide novel evidence that changes in coffee consumption habits influence subsequent risk of T2D in women. Grant Funding Source : Supported by NIH grants CA87969, CA055075, DK58845, HL60712