Drinking black tea may help
protect against type 2 diabetes, but more study is needed to confirm an
association.
When researchers analyzed
data from 50 countries, they found that the rate of diabetes
was lowest in countries where people drank the most black tea.
Type 2 diabetes rates have
skyrocketed worldwide in recent decades. It's projected that by 2030 there will
be more than 900 million people across the globe with diabetes or with a high
risk for developing it.
When researchers used a
mathematical model to estimate the impact of drinking black tea on a number of
health conditions, they found a link to just one -- diabetes.
Of the countries included
in the analysis, black tea drinking was highest in Ireland, the U.K., and
Turkey. It was lowest in South Korea, Brazil, and China.
Researcher Ariel Beresniak,
MD, PhD, of the mathematical research group Data Mining International in
Geneva, Switzerland, says the study shows a consistent relationship between
black tea drinking and type 2 diabetes risk. But this study does not prove a cause and
effect relationship.
Black tea may protect
against diabetes, Beresniak says, but more research is needed to prove this.
"You certainly can't
say that on the basis of this study alone, but the findings are consistent with
previous studies that have also suggested a link," he says.
The new study was published
today in the journal BMJ Open.
Role of Green Tea and
White Tea
Studies have also linked
green tea and white tea to a lower risk of diabetes, but Beresniak and
colleagues were not able to examine this association.
Black tea is more highly
fermented and, as the name suggests, darker than green or white tea.
The fermentation process
turns simple flavonoid compounds called catechins in green tea into complex
compounds called theaflavins and thearubigins.
Beresniak says if black tea
is shown in future research to actually lower diabetes risk, the fermentation
process may explain why.
Diabetes specialist Spyros
Mezitis, MD, of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, says while there is
probably no harm in drinking tea, there is as yet no compelling reason to
recommend that patients with diabetes or those at risk for the disease drink
tea.
"I am not convinced on
the basis of this study that drinking black tea lowers diabetes risk," he
says.
He adds that dietary and
other lifestyle choices known to lower diabetes risk include:
·
Limiting foods that contain refined sugar and
highly refined white flour.
·
Adding fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
low-fat dairy to your diet.
·
Getting at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, at least three times a week.
"These are things that
we know will make a difference," he says.
By Salynn Boyles WebMD Health News Reviewed
by Louise Chang, MD
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