June 2/New York/Reuters Health Medical News -- In men with diabetes, coffee consumption does not increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases or all-cause mortality, according to a brief report in the June issue of Diabetes Care.

Prior research has tied coffee use to both beneficial and harmful effects, note senior author Dr. Rob M. van Dam, from Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues. Although research in the general population has suggested no harmful cardiovascular effects from coffee, data from diabetic groups has been lacking. Recently, however, evidence has suggested coffee consumption may impair glucose tolerance in diabetics.

The current investigation involved 3,497 diabetic men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and who did not have cardiovascular disease at baseline. The subjects completed several dietary questionnaires during follow-up from 1986-2004.

Consumption of coffee, even four or more cups per day, did not significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (odds ratio, 0.88) or all-cause mortality (odds ratio, 0.80), compared with non-coffee drinkers. The same held true after the subjects were stratified by smoking status and by duration of diabetes.

The authors also found no association with total caffeine intake or with consumption of decaffeinated coffee.

"Our findings do not support the hypothesis that habitual caffeinated coffee consumption increases risk of cardiovascular events or mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes," the authors conclude.

From the June 8, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition