Drink tea to prevent type 2 diabetes

Risingbd Desk: Drinking tea could help to prevent type 2 diabetes, scientists claim.

Consuming the popular beverage helps to smooth out spikes in blood sugar levels that are triggered by snacking on sweet treats.

In the latest study, it was found to significantly reduce the amount of glucose in adults who were given sucrose-laden drinks just before.Full of polyphenols, experts believe that these powerful compounds block the absorption of sugar.

Controlling blood sugar levels are known to be crucial for both the prevention of the potentially deadly condition.

It is also considered to be the key to reducing the risk of life-changing complications for those already diagnosed.

Commenting on the study, Dr Tim Bond, of the Tea Advisory Panel, told MailOnline: 'After water, tea is the second most commonly consumed beverage in the world.

'This new research adds to already published studies which suggest that Britain’s favourite beverage is good for health and wellbeing benefits, whatever your age.

'In effect, these polyphenols seemed to lower the GI, or glycaemic index, of the sugary drink.

'What’s more, this action was completely independent of insulin, which we often think of as the only factor in blood glucose control.'

Researchers tested the effects of drinking tea on 24 participants. Half had normal blood sugar levels, while the others had already been diagnosed with pre-diabetes.

The day before each trial, both groups were asked to avoid any exercise and eat moderately.

All were given the same small low-sugar evening meal for the study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The following morning, blood samples were taken by the researchers when they were in a fasting state.

They were given a sugary drink accompanied by a beverage containing either a high or low dose of tea polyphenols or a placebo.

Further blood samples were taken 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes later.

The experiment was repeated three times, with a one-week gap between each test day to allow the researchers to accurately record each volunteer's response.

This also allowed them to ensure any noticeable changes were solely due to the different drinks.

As expected, the biggest surges in blood sugar levels were seen when volunteers were given the placebo drink alongside the sugary one.

But surprisingly, both doses of tea polyphenols showed the same significant suppression of blood sugar spikes.

In a separate finding, there were no differences between the volunteers’ insulin levels at any point of the study.

Insulin is the hormone that mops up and stores excess blood sugar before it can damage blood vessels and organs.

Impaired insulin response is one of the hallmarks of pre-diabetes, where levels are raised, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as full-blown type 2 diabetes.

The study is just the latest in a string of trials confirming the health benefits of a cup of tea.

As MailOnline reported earlier this month, drinking tea every day has been shown to reduces the risk of cognitive impairment in older people by 50 per cent.

And for those who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer's, a cup of tea daily can reduce the risk by as much as 86 per cent.

Source: The Mail



Risingbd/March 29, 2017/Mukul