Research suggests that daily tea consumption may reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by over 25%.
Compared to non-tea drinkers, tea drinkers had a 28% lower likelihood of being diagnosed with diabetes and a 15% lower risk of prediabetes.
The research, led by the University of Adelaide in Australia and Southeast University in China, found that dark tea was particularly effective, reducing the risk by 47%.
Dark tea’s unique production process involving microbial fermentation produces bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, enhancing insulin sensitivity and altering gut bacteria composition.
The study involved 1,923 adults across China and noted that daily dark tea drinkers experienced the most significant benefits.
READ: 3,000 steps per day can significantly reduce high blood pressure
The researchers are planning further studies to confirm these findings, acknowledging the limitations of observational research.
Although the research is promising, the scientists note that observational studies cannot definitively prove causation.
They are currently undertaking a double-blind, randomized trial to validate their results. They also acknowledge potential biases due to other lifestyle and physiological factors that might have influenced the study’s outcomes.
These findings were published in the journal Diabetologia and were presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD 2023).
