Does drinking tea reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes? Here’s what the study shows

The findings were presented at this year’s European Diabetes Society (EASD) Annual Meeting (September 19-23) in Stockholm, Sweden.

Drinking 4 or more cups of tea per day has been suggested to reduce the risk of T2D by 17% over an average of 10 years.

Xiaying Li, lead author of Wuhan University of Science and Technology, China, said:

It has long been known that drinking tea regularly can be beneficial to your health due to the various antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic substances it contains, but it is important to avoid drinking tea. The relationship between drinking and the risk of T2D is less clear. So far, published cohort studies and meta-analyses have reported inconsistent results.

Also Read: Why drinking coffee makes you richer

To address this uncertainty, researchers conducted a cohort study and a dose-response meta-analysis to better define the relationship between tea consumption and future type 2 diabetes risk.

First, we studied 5,199 adults (2583 males, 2616 females) with no history of type 2 diabetes, obtained from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) recruited in 1997 and followed up to 2009 (mean age 42). Explore the economy, social issues, and health of residents in nine states.

First, participants filled out a food and drink frequency questionnaire and provided information on lifestyle factors such as regular exercise, smoking and drinking alcohol.

Overall, 2,379 (46%) participants reported drinking tea, and 522 (10%) participants developed T2D by the end of the study.

After adjusting for factors known to be associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, including age, gender, and physical inactivity, the researchers found that tea drinkers developed type 2 diabetes more than non-drinkers. and found that the risk of diabetes was similar.The results also did not change significantly when analyzed by age and sex, or when participants who developed diabetes during the first 3 years of follow-up were excluded. was.

In the next step of the study, researchers conducted a systematic review of all cohort studies investigating tea drinking and risk of T2D in adults (18+) through September 2021. [1] It was included in a dose-response meta-analysis.

They investigated the potential effects of different types of tea (green tea, oolong tea, black tea) and frequency of drinking tea (less than 1 cup a day, 1-3 cups, 4 or more cups a day). Gender (male vs. female) for risk of T2D, and study location (Europe vs. America, or Asia).

Overall, the meta-analysis found a linear association between tea drinking and T2D risk.

Compared to non-tea drinkers, those who drank 1-3 cups of tea daily had a 4% lower risk of T2D, and those who drank 4 or more cups a day had a 17% lower risk.

This association was observed regardless of the type of tea the participants drank, whether they were male or female, or where they lived, with the amount of tea consumed rather than other factors playing a major role. suggests that it may be

“Although more research is needed to determine the exact dosage and mechanisms behind these observations, our findings suggest that drinking tea may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. It’s been suggested that it’s beneficial, but only at high doses (at least four teaspoons a day), says Lee.

“Certain ingredients such as polyphenols in tea may lower blood sugar levels, but you may need sufficient amounts of these bioactive compounds to be effective.” Because the study did not look at increased tea consumption, there is a link between tea drinking and type 2 diabetes.

Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea made from the same plant as green tea and black tea. The difference is how the tea is processed. Green tea is oxidized less, black tea is oxidized until black, and oolong tea is partially oxidized.

Despite the important findings, the authors point out that the study was observational and could not prove that drinking tea reduced the risk of T2D, although tea likely contributed. suggests that

Also, the researchers relied on subjective assessments of the amount of tea consumed, and we cannot rule out the possibility that residual confounding by other lifestyle and physiological factors may have influenced the results. , points out some caveats.

(with input from ANI)

post a comment
first article