Drinking tea may lower risk of diabetes, heart disease and death

There is growing evidence that drinking a few cups of tea a day has many health benefits, including lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and overall mortality.

The latest research on the subject, a review of 19 studies, will be presented next week at the European Diabetes Association’s annual meeting. Results suggested that drinking four or more cups of black tea, green tea, or oolong tea a day lowered his risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 17% over his 10-year period.

Conducted by a team in China, the study involved more than one million adults in eight countries. The findings show that the less tea you drink, the less effective it is. Studies have shown that drinking just one to three cups a day can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by only 4%. Drinking one cup a day reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 1%.

Xiaying Li, a researcher at Wuhan University of Science and Technology, said: statement.

a study Researchers published last month found that people drink two or more cups of tea every day. Reduced overall mortality risk It increased by 9% to 13% over 14 years in the UK compared to those who never drank tea. The study also found an association between drinking multiple cups of tea and a lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

“I think our findings are very encouraging for people who are already drinking tea,” said Maki Inoue-Choi, PhD, a staff scientist at the National Cancer Institute who led the study. .

Inoue-Choi says her study “did not see any negative effect on mortality risk” even among people who drank 10 or more cups a day.

Antioxidants in tea may reduce inflammation

The health benefits of drinking tea may be related to polyphenols, compounds naturally found in plants that provide antioxidants.

“These compounds may reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which in turn may reduce the risk of developing certain health conditions such as heart disease,” said Tsuyoshi Inoue.

Catechins, the main polyphenols found in green tea, may be particularly useful in preventing disease by protecting cells from damage. It is converted to theaflavin, which is an antioxidant.

Choi Inoue said it may explain why both green tea and black tea appear to offer health benefits. It might also explain why you need to drink.

In fact, a Chinese team found in another study of 5,200 adults that, without considering how many cups of tea they drank, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increased between tea drinkers and non-tea drinkers. found to be almost the same.

Inoue-Choi said her study found that adding milk or sugar to tea did not reduce the health benefits, but participants tended to use those ingredients sparingly. .

“The sweet tea in the store is high in sugar,” she said. “Dietary guidelines should be followed to avoid consuming too much sugar and saturated fat.”

However, the Inouye Choi study found no association between drinking tea and a lower risk of dying from cancer.

Although some previous research suggests that drinking tea may reduce the risk, prostate, lung, ovary Also colorectal cancer1 study Also, drinking three cups of tea a day was found to be a significant risk factor for breast cancer.another study Drinking very hot tea (above 149 degrees Fahrenheit) was found to increase the risk of esophageal cancer.

“The cancer findings are more mixed,” said Tsuyoshi Inoue, adding that more research is needed. “For heart disease and stroke, we have more consistent results.”

So far, scientists haven’t provided broad recommendations on the ideal amount of tea to drink, she said.

“We do not recommend changing tea intake based on this single study alone,” said Tsuyoshi Inoue.