Diabetes and Tea: Preventive Measures

As rates of diabetes rise, it is critical to look at lifestyle changes that can offer some protection against the disease. New research from Diabetologia suggests that tea and other sugar-free beverages can play a role.

The recently released study shows that eliminating a single serving of sugar-based beverages (such as soda, sweetened milk, and possibly juice) a day with non-sugary options like tea, coffee or water, can reduce Type 2 diabetes risk by 25%.

The study included more than 25,000 people ages 40-79 in the United Kingdom. They completed 7 day food diaries and were studied for more than 10 years. Those who substituted a non-sugary beverage for the sweeter version had a lower risk of developing diabetes. They also looked at both tea with sugar and without and found that tea with no sugar contributed to lower risk but tea with sugar did not.

According to NHS statistics there are approximately 3.1 million adults with diabetes in the UK, with the number expected to rise of 4.6 million by 2030.

90 per cent of those suffering from the condition have type 2 diabetes, which is affect by black tea consumption.

Health officials say the increased level in type 2 diabetes is due to increasing level of obesity, a lack of exercise and unhealthy diets.

One study funded by pharmaceutical companies and carried out by the York Health Economic Consortium found that the cost of the direct treatment of diabetes to the NHS would increase from £9.8 billion to £16.9 billion over the next 25 years.

Further research about connections between diabetes and tea are sure to follow.