Diabetes Finds It’s Cup of Tea or Wine
Larrian on April 3rd, 2008 | Filed under Heart, Nutrition, Women's Health
Leave it to a Scotsman to find that black tea contains elements that can suppress the rise of glucose in your bloodstream after a meal. Working at the chilly University of Dundee, Dr. Graham Rena and his team were investigating compounds to replace insulin in diabetics when they discovered that black tea contains
theaflavins and thearubigins, which behave much like insulin. Now green tea doesn’t have these elements and, in fact, must convert its active compound, epigallocatechin gallate, into the black tea elements.
In another study, red wine and black tea were found to inhibit alpha-glucosidase, which triggers the absorption of glucose by the small intestine. White wine and green teas were mere weaklings in comparison to their effectiveness at putting the skids on glucose transport.
Lowering glucose can block the production of free radicals in your bloodstream which can cause heart disease and high blood pressure from Type 2 diabetes. I personally drink a quart of Tejava black tea daily, which is sold in grocery stores. Like it hot? My favorite teas are by Mariage Freres and Betjeman and Barton ( I love Le The des Amours and Casablanca) but good old Lipton will do. Tea brewing tradition dictates letting tea steep for 3 minutes after pouring boiling water over the leaves to extract these beneficial chemicals. No doubt we will see the PR wars heat up over whether red wine is better than tea. Now wouldn’t that be a tempest in a tea pot!
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