Surprisingly simple: Drinking more tea reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

A study of more than 1 million adults found that drinking more tea may reduce the risk of

Moderate consumption of black, green or oolong tea reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), based on the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis, which covered 19 cohort studies

The findings suggest that drinking at least four cups of tea a day can reduce the risk of developing T2D by 17%

"Our findings are exciting because they show that people can do simple things, like drinking four cups of tea a day, potentially reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes," said

Tea contains a variety of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer compounds

To address this uncertainty, the researchers conducted a cohort study and dose-reactant analysis to better determine the relationship between tea drinking and future risks of

People who drank 1-3 cups of tea a day had a 4%

First, they studied 5,199 adults (2,583 males and 2,616 women) with an average age of 42 years and no history of T2D in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), who were recruited from 1997 to 2009

Initially, participants filled out a diet frequency questionnaire

The researchers found that after adjusting for known factors associated with increased risk of T2D, such as age, gender, and lack of exercise, people who drank tea had a similar

In the next step in the study, the scientists conducted a systematic review of all cohort studies surveying the risk of T2D in tea drinking and adults (18 years of age or older) as of September 2021

They explored the potential effects

Overall, meta-analyses found a linear association between tea drinking and T2D risk, with each cup of tea per day reducing the risk of developing T2D by about 1%.

People who drank 1-3 cups of tea a day had a 4%

The association persisted regardless of what kind of tea the participants drank, whether they were male or female, and no matter where they lived

"While more research needs to be done to determine the exact dosage and mechanism behind these observations, our findings suggest that drinking tea helps reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but only in high doses (at least 4 cups per day)," Li said

She added: "Special ingredients in tea, such as polyphenols, may lower blood sugar levels, but a sufficient amount of these bioactive compounds may be needed to be effective
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" This could also explain why we didn't find a link between tea drinking and type 2 diabetes in the cohort study, because we didn't look at higher tea intake
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Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese tea that is made with the same plants as green tea and black tea
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The difference is in the way tea is processed – green tea is not allowed to be oxidized in large quantities, black tea is allowed to oxidize until it turns black, and oolong tea is partially oxidized
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Despite these important findings, the authors note that the study was observational
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Therefore, it cannot prove that drinking tea is the cause of the reduced risk of T2D, although it may be a factor
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In addition, the research team noted a number of considerations, including that they relied on a subjective assessment of the amount of tea they drank, and they could not rule out that residual confusion of other lifestyle and physiological factors might have affected the results
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