Green Tea and Diabetes
Research suggest that this simple and inexpensive beverage may help in the prevention of diabetes. Tea has a blood-sugar lowering effect. A study on rats found that tea decreased glucose levels, which in turn affects other ensuing diabetic complications like cataracts. The study showed that five cups of tea per day for a human significantly inhibited cataract formation compared to a control group which did not get tea. A study by researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that tea may increase insulin activity. Using black, green and oolong teas, the scientists found that tea increased insulin activity by about 15-fold in tests using fat cells obtained from rats. The effect was primarily due to epigallocatechin gallate, an active compound found in tea.
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