It’s a tea day! In this review, black tea is implicated in reducing the risk of diabetes:
AANP – Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk Linked To Black Tea Consumption – (Friday, November 9, 2012) –Mathematical analysis of data from 50 countries has linked higher consumption of black tea and a lower prevalence of diabetes type 2. (Globally, type 2 diabetes has increased 600 percent in the past few decades. Black tea is fermented green tea. Previous research suggested reduced diabetes risk with higher coffee intake.) The scientists used a statistical approach called principal component analysis (PCA) to analyze both per-country sales data and data on prevalence of respiratory, infectious, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer and diabetes. This showed an impact for black tea on rates of diabetes, but not the other diseases. Low rates of diabetes were strongly linked to higher black tea consumption, which is not necessarily cause-and-effect. However, this is consistent with earlier findings on black tea and obesity and diabetes. Green tea contains simple flavonoids called catechins, believed to be anti-inflammatory; but the fermentation that turns green tea black induces many, more complex flavonoids, including theaflavins and thearubigins, to which substantial health benefits have been attributed. This study was released November 8, 2012 by the journal BMJ Open but has not yet been published or posted.
