Research on more than 1 million people in eight countries found that moderate use of black, green or oolong tea is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The findings are being presented at this year’s European Association for the Study of Diabetes. (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden (19-23 September) suggests that drinking at least four cups of tea a day is associated with a 17 percent lower 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 no history of T2D. mean age 42) from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), who were recruited in 1997 and followed until 2009.
The CHNS is a multicentre prospective study looking at the economics, social issues and health of residents of nine provinces. Initially, participants filled out food and drink frequency questionnaires and provided information about 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 do not drink tea, those who drink 1–3 cups per day have a 4% lower risk of T2D, while those who consume at least 4 cups have a lower risk of T2D. Every 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 another factor. , which plays a major role.
“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 higher doses (days). at least 4 cups)”, says Lee. She adds, “It is possible that particular components in tea, such as polyphenols, may lower blood sugar levels, but sufficient amounts of these bioactive compounds may be needed to be effective. This may also explain why.” That’s why we didn’t explore the association between tea drinking and type 2 diabetes in our cohort study because we didn’t look at high tea consumption.”
Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea made from the same plant that is used to make green and black teas. The difference is in how the tea 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 Go.
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 a number of caveats, including that they rely on subjective assessments of the amount of tea consumed and they cannot rule out the possibility that residual confounding by other lifestyle and physiological factors may have influenced the results. could.