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In Reply: Ms Ross raises the interesting possibility that the substantial amount of trigonelline in coffee could contribute to the association between coffee consumption and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition to intake of trigonelline, intakes of the coffee components chlorogenic acid,¹ quinides,² and the lignan secoisolariciresinol³ improved glucose metabolism in rats. These findings underscore that it is premature to attribute the apparent protective effect of coffee consumption against the development of type 2 diabetes to 1 specific coffee component. The possibility of a contribution of several components, or of interactions between different coffee components, should also be considered.

A useful research approach would be to first attempt to confirm the epidemiological findings in a human subject intervention study of coffee consumption with appropriate outcome measures of glucose metabolism. If successful, this experimental design can be used to test whether different coffee components have the same effect . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Rob M. van Dam, PhD
rvandam@hsph.harvard.edu

Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD
Department of Nutrition
Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, Mass

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