Did You Know: Drinking Tea May Help Lower Risk Of Diabetes, Study Finds

One of the most popular beverages in the world – tea – holds an important position in our lives. So much so, that you will find a dedicated dabba for chai in every kitchen cabinet. A kadak cup of chai not only refuels us with energy, but also helps benefit our health in several ways. Till now, much has been spoken about how some varieties of tea – including black tea, green tea and oolong tea – promotes weight loss, boosts immunity et al. But if the findings of a new study are to be believed, these varieties of tea help may lower the risk of developing type-2 diabetes too?! You heard us. A recent study by the researchers at Wuhan University of Science and Technology in China found that drinking at least four cups of tea a day is associated with a 17 percent lower risk of type-2 diabetes over an average period of 10 years.

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The study was conducted on more than one million adults from eight countries and the findings were presented at 2022 European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. “Our results are exciting because they suggest that people can do something as simple as drinking four cups of tea a day to potentially lessen their risk of developing type 2 diabetes”, stated lead author Xiaying Li from Wuhan University of Science and Technology in China.

For the research, first they studied 5199 adults with an average age of 42 and no history of type 2 diabetes. As per an official release, “At the outset, participants filled in a food and drink frequency questionnaire and provided information on lifestyle factors such as regular exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption. Overall, 2,379 (46 percent) participants reported drinking tea, and by the end of the study, 522 (10 percent) participants had developed T2D.”

Later they surveyed people with different age group, involving a total of 1076311 participants from eight countries. “The researchers also explored the potential impact 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), sex (male and female), and the location of the study (Europe and America, or Asia), on the risk of T2D,” the release further read.

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The result shows that adults who drank one to three cups of tea daily, lowered their risk of type 2 diabetes by four percent, compared to the ones who didn’t drink tea. And those who consumed at least four cups of tea every day reduced their risk by 17 percent.

“While more research needs to be done to determine the exact dosage and mechanisms behind these observations, our findings suggest that drinking tea is beneficial in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, but only at high doses (at least 4 cups a day)”, stated lead author Xiaying Li.

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