RESUMEN
Several epidemiological evidences indicate that consumption of coffee is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) however; there is dearth of experimental data to support these observations. Given that associations do not necessarily infer causality, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of coffee consumption on glucose regulation, T2DM and the probable mechanisms of action, using an animal model. The effect of coffee (2-fold dilution) by oral gavage on normal and high sucrose-solution (HSS) fed (30 % w/v) rats was evaluated. The results showed that consumption of coffee significantly increase glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity (p<0.05) along with significant improvement in SOD and GSH activities. In addition, lipid indices such as TG and LDL as well as the lipid peroxidation marker (MDA) were markedly reduced (p<0.05) in rats fed with coffee compared with that of the HSS fed rats. These findings suggest that coffee consumption improves insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance in HSS-fed rat possibly via inhibition of oxidative stress.