Washington (USA): Moderate use of black, green or oolong tea is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to research conducted on more than one million people in eight countries. The findings, being presented at this year’s European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Stockholm, Sweden (September 19-23), show that drinking at least four cups of tea a day reduces 17 percent . The risk of T2D over an average period of 10 years.
“Our results are exciting because they suggest that people can do something as simple as drinking four cups of tea a day to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” says lead author Xiying Li, from Wuhan University of Science and Technology in China. Huh.” Although it has long been known that regularly drinking tea may be beneficial to health due to the various antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic compounds in tea, the relationship between tea drinking and the risk of T2D is less clear. So far, published cohort studies and meta-analyses have reported inconsistent findings.
To address this uncertainty, the researchers conducted a cohort study and a dose-response meta-analysis to better define the relationship between tea consumption and future T2DM risk. First, they studied 5,199 adults (2583 men, 2616 women) with a history of T2D (mean age 42) from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), who were recruited in 1997 and followed until 2009 . CHNS is a multicentre potential. The study looked at the economics, social issues and health of residents of nine provinces. Initially, participants filled out food and drink frequency questionnaires and provided information on lifestyle factors such as regular exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption. Overall, 2,379 (46%) participants reported drinking tea, and by the end of the study, 522 (10%) participants had developed T2D.
After adjusting for factors associated with an increased risk of T2D, such as age, gender, and physical inactivity, the researchers found that tea drinkers had a similar risk of developing T2D compared to non-drinkers. And the results did not change significantly when analyzed by age and gender, or when participants who developed diabetes during the first 3 years of follow-up were excluded.
In the next phase of the study, the researchers conducted a systematic review of all cohort studies examining tea drinking and the risk of T2D in adults (18 years of age or older) by September 2021. In total, the 19 cohort studies included 1,076,311 participants from eight countries. [1] were included in the dose–response meta-analysis. They explored the potential effect of different types of tea (green tea, oolong tea, and black tea), frequency of tea drinking (less than 1 cup/day, 1-3 cups/day, and 4 or more cups/day). . Gender (male and female), and study location (Europe and America, or Asia), on the risk of T2D.
Overall, the meta-analysis found a linear relationship between tea drinking and T2D risk, with each cup of tea consumed per day reducing the risk of developing T2D by approximately 1%. Compared with adults who did not drink tea, those who drank 1–3 cups per day had a 4% lower risk of T2D, while those who drank at least 4 cups per day reduced their risk by 17%. Associations were observed regardless of the type of tea participants, whether they were male or female, or where they lived, suggesting that it may be the amount of tea consumed, rather than some other factor, that plays a major role. Performs. While more research needs to be done to determine the exact dosage and mechanism behind these observations, our findings suggest that drinking tea is beneficial in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, but only at high doses (less than a day). less than 4 cups)”, says Lee. She adds, “It is possible that particular constituents in tea, such as polyphenols, may lower blood sugar levels, but sufficient amounts of these bioactive compounds are needed to be effective. may be required. This may also explain why we did not find a correlation between. tea drinking and type 2 diabetes in our cohort study because we did not look at high tea consumption.” Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea made from the same plant that makes green and black tea. How it is processed – Green tea is not allowed to oxidize much, black tea is allowed to oxidize until it turns black, and oolong tea is partially oxidized.
Despite the important findings, the authors note that the study is observational and cannot prove that drinking tea reduces the risk of T2D, but does suggest that it is likely to contribute. And the researchers point to several caveats, including that they relied on subjective assessments of the amount of tea consumed and that they cannot rule out the possibility that residual confounding by other lifestyle and physiological factors contributed to the consequences. be affected.