maybe these individuals should have consumed the tea instead of allowing the ocean to drink it. :)
Posted on 03/02/2008 4:41:08 PM PST by decimon
Drinking black tea could help prevent diabetes, according to new findings by scientists at Dundee University.
The researchers said black tea may have the potential to combat type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease.
They believe certain constituents of tea could act as an insulin substitute.
In Scotland, it is believed more than 190,000 people have diabetes which develops when the body fails to make enough insulin.
In Tayside alone, latest figures show a 90% increase in the incidence of diabetes in the last 9 years.
The Dundee team, led by Dr Graham Rena, hopes to secure more funding to continue its investigation.
In collaboration with colleagues at the Scottish Crop Research Institute, the researchers discovered that several black tea constituents, known as theaflavins and thearubigins, mimicked insulin action.
"What we have found is that these constituents can mimic insulin action on proteins known as foxos," Dr Rena said.
"Foxos have previously been shown to underlie associations between diet and health in a wide variety of organisms including mice, worms and fruit flies.
"The task now is to see whether we can translate these findings into something useful for human health."
Experimental stage
Dr Rena stressed that further research was needed.
"People shouldn't be rushing to drink masses of black tea thinking it will cure them of diabetes," he said. "We are still some way from this leading to new treatments or dietary advice.
"Our research into tea compounds is at a preclinical, experimental stage and people with diabetes should continue to take their medicines as directed by their doctor."
"However, there is definitely something interesting in the way these naturally occurring components of black tea may have a beneficial effect, both in terms of diabetes and our wider health."
The results of the research appear in the current issue of the journal Aging Cell.
I guess that explains why there are no diabetics in England!
This is good news. I drink about a quart and a half of black tea a day.
maybe these individuals should have consumed the tea instead of allowing the ocean to drink it. :)
Yeah but the fish were healthy as heck
I thought we were supposed to be drinking green tea. - Tom
Meh...I drink both.
Add a tiny bit of cinnamon to that cup of tea—even better.
I knew an Indian who drank two gallons of tea. He died in his teepee.
The 90% increase has more to do with changing the definition of diabetes than people “getting” diabetes. In the past a much higher blood glucose level was required to be diagnosed as diabetes. Newer studies and medicine made it treatable at a much lower glucose level and consequently there is now an diabetes EPIDEMIC.
No. there is NOT an epidemic, there is a more preventative approach to the treatment, and NOT an actual change in the number of people who have higher blood sugar levels.
If you changed the rules to football to have a 25 yard field, you will have MANY more touch downs than the old outdated 100 yards! So consequently you will have an epidemic of touch downs! that is a good thing, right?
Wouldn't our increased lifespans cause at least an increase in the incidence of diabetes?
It's not just a "one gene" causes it all sort of thing ~ they all have to be prsent and you have to have the right combination of alleles to develop it. That's roughly 5% of the American population in general. Various groups have different percentages subject to this problem.
The added population of diabetics include people of all ages, but I think that older people do have a disproportionate increase, and that increase would be caused by age. Hopefully the preemptive strike will decrease that. -See, I told you Bush caused it!
Cue Monty Python:
King Arthur: Old woman.
Dennis: Man.
King Arthur: Man, sorry. What knight lives in that castle over there?
Dennis: I’m 37.
King Arthur: What?
Dennis: I’m 37. I’m not old.
Works for me!
Black tea daily with a touch of green for good measure. Not a diabetic.
I drink my black tea with a gob of cinnamon and a dash of cloves. Sometimes a little cardamon.
Chai
I tried some Roobios peach/blueberry bliss at Teavana today
served chilled sweetened with rock sugar.
tastes like fruit punch.
Sorry, cinnamon looked promising for a while, but recent studies have not demonstrated any beneficial effect on blood sugar. As usual, there are conflicting reports.
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=82492-cinnamon-diabetes
Someone tell those folks in the South that sweet tea won’t do the trick.
I’m a 4th generation Type II, I take 1000mg of cinnamon daily and have stayed off (so far) insulin for three years. As for the black tea - that’s old news from as far back as 2005.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.