It was mentioned in-What was your last blood sugar--that drinking green tea helped bring down this persons high bs.I would really like to know if this is something others do that have type1 ? I know green tea is good for everyone....If this is something that works I want to buy it in caps.That may not be as good as drinking it though.Are there any studies to back up tea and high blood sugars for type1 ??
Hey meme.
I found this study...
Br J Nutr. 2009 Dec;102(11):1611-9. Epub 2009 Oct 13.
Modulatory effects of black v. green tea aqueous extract on hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia and liver dysfunction in diabetic and obese rat models.
Ramadan G, El-Beih NM, Abd El-Ghffar EA.
Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbasseya, Cairo, Egypt. gamal_ramadan@hotmail.com
Cardiovascular complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes, obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in tea as a protective agent against CVD. Here, we compared the modulatory effects of two different doses (50 and 100 mg/kg body weight given orally for 28 consecutive days) of black tea aqueous extract (BTE, rich in theaflavins and thearubigins) and green tea aqueous extract (GTE, rich in catechins) on experimentally induced hyperglycaemia, hyperlipidaemia and liver dysfunction by alloxan (which destroys pancreatic beta-cells and induces type 1 diabetes) and a cholesterol-rich diet (which induces obesity and type 2 diabetes) in male Wistar albino rats. Both tea extracts significantly alleviated most signs of the metabolic syndrome including hyperglycaemia (resulting from type 1 and 2 diabetes), dyslipidaemia and impairment of liver functions induced by alloxan or the cholesterol-rich diet in the animals. Also, the tea extracts significantly modulated both the severe decrease and increase in body weight induced by alloxan and the high-cholesterol diet, respectively. The modulatory effects obtained here were partial or complete, but significant and dose dependent, and slightly more in GTE in most cases. No harmful effects were detected for tea consumption on all parameters measured, except that the high dose of both tea extracts significantly decreased the spleen weight:body weight ratio and induced lymphopenia. The present study supports the hypothesis that both black and green teas may have beneficial effects against the risks of the metabolic syndrome and CVD as shown in rat models of human obesity and diabetes.
It's done in rats, but still pretty interesting...
It makes me happy, since I drink black tea every single morning. There is a ton of literature backing up how healthy tea extracts are, and if you want to take supplements instead of making tea then that works too. I would never use it as a means to treat a high blood sugar reading, of course... gotta shoot up with some insulin ASAP. But, more so as just a preventative medical supplement, or study supplement... like I do. :)
This is great! I'm might try this. However, one thing concerned me. It said that the teas induced lymphopenia. Here's what I found about that: Lymphocytopenia, or lymphopenia, is the condition of having an abnormally low level of lymphocytes in the blood. Lymphocytes are a white blood cell with important functions in the immune system.
This can't be good, right?
Molly
I haven't heard of lymphocytopenia as a genuine concern of tea use. What the study could be referring to is the reduction of pro-inflammatory cells, which is actually a good thing. Diabetes is known to increase inflammation in the body (among many other things) and increase one's risk for atherosclerosis diseases (heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, etc). So, the "lymphocytopenia" you mention may actually be a reduction in "bad" immune cells, which is a good thing!
If you can, send me the article where you found this and I'll take a look at it!
That makes sense. Here's where I found the lymphopenia definition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphocytopenia (I know, Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source lol.) The line about the tea extracts inducing lymphopenia was in the article you posted. "No harmful effects were detected for tea consumption on all parameters measured, except that the high dose of both tea extracts significantly decreased the spleen weight:body weight ratio and induced lymphopenia." So, maybe the "high dose" they mentioned isn't a dose that would normally consumed?
You're right...green tea is known for having anti-inflammatory effects, so it wouldn't make sense that it would be dangerous in normal doses. My blood sugar has been a little high today, so maybe I'll go make some. ;)
Molly
Haha, you're right. Good find.
I researched it a bit more and they have done quite a few studies in humans. Some of them have found some improvement, while others haven't...
Here's an example of a recent one:
Effects of dietary supplementation with the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate on insulin resistance and associated metabolic risk factors: randomized controlled trial.
Brown AL, Lane J, Coverly J, Stocks J, Jackson S, Stephen A, Bluck L, Coward A, Hendrickx H.
Unilever Corporate Research, Colworth Park, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LQ, UK. Louise.Brown@unilever.com
Animal evidence indicates that green tea may modulate insulin sensitivity, with epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) proposed as a likely health-promoting component. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with EGCG on insulin resistance and associated metabolic risk factors in man. Overweight or obese male subjects, aged 40-65 years, were randomly assigned to take 400 mg capsules of EGCG (n 46) or the placebo lactose (n 42), twice daily for 8 weeks. Oral glucose tolerance testing and measurement of metabolic risk factors (BMI, waist circumference, percentage body fat, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, TAG) was conducted pre- and post-intervention. Mood was evaluated weekly using the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology mood adjective checklist. EGCG treatment had no effect on insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion or glucose tolerance but did reduce diastolic blood pressure (mean change: placebo - 0.058 (se 0.75) mmHg; EGCG - 2.68 (se 0.72) mmHg; P = 0.014). No significant change in the other metabolic risk factors was observed. The EGCG group also reported feeling in a more positive mood than the placebo group across the intervention period (mean score for hedonic tone: EGCG, 29.11 (se 0.44); placebo, 27.84 (se 0.46); P = 0.048). In conclusion, regular intake of EGCG had no effect on insulin resistance but did result in a modest reduction in diastolic blood pressure. This antihypertensive effect may contribute to some of the cardiovascular benefits associated with habitual green tea consumption. EGCG treatment also had a positive effect on mood. Further studies are needed to confirm the findings and investigate their mechanistic basis.
Oh well... I guess it didn't affect blood sugar much in this study. But still... it was found to increase MOOD... something every diabetic needs, and it still helps to motivate me to study when I need it!
Mad
Okay...I just wanted to update you guys. I had a math test earlier today and last night I needed to study. I figured it was a good time to test out some green tea, since I was starting to get tired and couldn't focus. MAN, that stuff makes you HYPER! Lol, I had some more today before the test, just for good measure. I think I may have found my new drug of choice. lol ;)
Whoa talk about synchronicity...
I just started drinking green tea on a regular basis this past week. I haven't noticed that it alone aids my blood sugar, but Molly is definitely right about it making you hyper. I just told my husband earlier today that it is legal speed :D I may have to go back to something a little more mild.
I've tried the Zija green tea, and as part of their nutritional system, it is amazing!