CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

Coffee is a popular drink in the world. It is said that seven out of 10 coffee three times per day or more. Millions of people enjoy drinking coffee in the morning and after lunch. The United States is currently the world's largest market for coffee. Annual consumption per capita is just over 4 kg compared wi th 5 kg on average in Europe.1 Coffee has been associated with low birth weight, birth defects, miscarriages, premature birth, inability to conceive, and sluggish sperm. High coffe consumption has been associated with better glucose tolerance and a substantially lower risk of type 2 diabetes in diverse populations in europe, the U.S., and Japan.2-4 Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a condition that develops during pregnancy when the body is not able to make enough insulin. The lack of insulin causes the blood glucose (also called blood sugar) level to become higher than normal. Gestational diabetes affects between 2 and 10 percent of women during pregnancy. It is important to recognize and treat gestational diabetes as soon as possible to minimize the risk of complications in the baby. In addition, it is important for women with a history of gestational diabetes to be tested for diabetes after pregnancy because of an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the years following delivery.5 Abnormal maternal glucose regulation occurs in 3-10% of pregnancies, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), which is defined as glucose intolerance

of variable degree with onset or first recognition during pregnancy, accounts for 90% of cases of diabetes mellitus (DM) in pregnancy. However, the rising prevalence of diabetes mellitus21 million people (7% of the population) have some form of diagnosed diabetes4; another 6 million people may be undiagnosed5 particularly type 2 among women of childbearing age in the United States, has resulted in increasing numbers of pregnant women with preexisting diabetes. Currently, type 2 diabetes mellitus accounts for 8% of cases of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy, and preexisting diabetes mellitus now affects 1% of all pregnancies.6 The prevalence of diabetes increased 33% in the U.S. between 1990 and 1999 with 7% of the population currently affected.7-8 Estimated projections are that the global prevalence of diabetes will almost double by 2030.9 Several recently published cohort studies suggest a significant reduced risk of type 2 diabetes in coffee drinkers. As similar results have been found with decaffeinated coffee.10-11Compounds in coffee other than caffeine have been proposed as being potentially responsible for the reduced risk.12-15 With 52% of U.S. adults consuming coffee on a daily basis, a coffee benefit could have widespread impact on the health of the population. 16