Doctor names drink that halves diabetes risk

0

Diabetes plays a huge role in our overall health and well-being: some foods are known to reduce the risk of certain diseases, while others increase the risk.

What we drink can have a big impact on our bodies. A new study has found that a certain hot beverage can cut the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by almost half.

A study published this year found that people who drank dark tea daily cut their chances of developing the serious disease by 47 percent. It also reduced the likelihood of prediabetes by 53 percent.

Dark tea, also known as fermented tea, is different from the standard tea we consume. It is popular in China and other Asian countries, but it can be purchased in specialty stores.

“Scientists have found that the hot drink increases the excretion of glucose in the urine, improves insulin resistance and, therefore, improves blood sugar control. This may be due to the unique way dark tea is produced,” says the therapist.

They found that unique biologically active compounds can be formed during the fermentation process, including alkaloids, free amino acids, polyphenols, polysaccharides and their derivatives.

All of them have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and also improve insulin sensitivity. But the effects are present to a lesser extent in other teas.

“Several studies in recent years have reported significant health benefits of tea, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, but the mechanisms underlying these benefits are unclear. The results suggest a protective effect of habitual tea consumption on blood sugar control by increasing urinary glucose excretion, improving insulin resistance, and thus better blood sugar control. These benefits are most pronounced among daily dark tea drinkers.”

Indeed, there is some confusion about the differences between black tea and dark tea, especially among Western consumers. Tea classification in Asia (China) is based on the corresponding processing method.

For example, green tea does not require fermentation. A distinctive feature of dark tea compared to other teas (black tea) is the participation of microbial organisms in the fermentation process.

The study involved 1,923 adults (562 men, 1,361 women, ages 20 to 80) in China. Of these, 436 participants were living with diabetes, 352 with prediabetes, and 1,135 had normal blood glucose levels.

They were asked about the frequency and type of tea they drank—including dark, black, green, or other. Compared with people who never drank tea, those who drank any type of tea had a 28 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and a 15 percent lower risk of prediabetes.