A study has revealed the potential mechanisms behind the benefits of drinking dark tea in reducing the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia and Southeastern University of China, found that drinking dark tea daily may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes through better control of blood sugar. The results were presented Monday to the annual meeting. of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Hamburg, Germany. Dark tea is a type of tea that is processed by fermentation for a long time, which changes its color and taste. It is also known as black tea.
Dark tea is made from the leaves of the tea plant that are picked, then dried and exposed to the air for a period of time. It is prepared by fermenting the tea leaves for hours, which leads to the decomposition of some compounds in the leaves and gives them their dark color and strong taste. As for regular red tea, it is a type of tea that is prepared by boiling tea leaves in hot water, and is characterized by its bright red color.
To reach the results, the team monitored the consumption of all types of tea by 1,923 adults in China, and then monitored their blood sugar levels. The researchers found that drinking tea daily was associated with an increase in urinary sugar excretion and decreased insulin resistance, in addition to a 15 percent lower risk of prediabetes and 28 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, compared to those who never drank tea.
These health effects were strongest for daily dark tea drinkers, who had a 53 percent lower risk of developing prediabetes and a 47 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, compared with other types of tea.
The necessity of conducting further studies on diabetic patients (Public Domain)
The lead researcher of the study, Dr. Tongzhi Wu from the University of Adelaide in Australia, says that previous studies revealed the significant health benefits of tea, including a reduced risk of diabetes, but the mechanisms behind these benefits were unclear.
He added that the results of the study indicate the preventive effects of drinking tea on blood sugar management by increasing the excretion of glucose in the urine, improving insulin resistance and thus better controlling blood sugar, and these benefits were more evident among daily dark tea drinkers.
He explained, “These beneficial effects of dark tea are due to the method of its preparation, a process that may produce biologically active compounds and powerful antioxidants that improve insulin sensitivity and the performance of beta cells in the pancreas.”
But the team stressed the need to conduct further studies on type 2 diabetes patients to verify the validity of their findings.
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2023-10-04 04:19:39
