Cuppa could fight diabetes

Ingredient in black tea can mimic action of insulin

The great British cuppa could help combat diabetes, scientists have claimed. Research at Dundee University has revealed tea may have the potential to help fight type 2 diabetes - one of the nation's biggest life-threatening diseases.

Researchers have discovered ingredients in black tea mimic the action of the hormone insulin, deficient in people with diabetes. They say the next step is to establish whether drinking more tea could help treat diabetes - or even prevent it.

Dr Graham Rena, an insulin researcher at the university's Neurosciences Institute, believes the health benefits of so called 'builders tea' may actually surpass those of other drinks. This includes green tea, which many claim has cancer-fighting properties and can help with weight loss.

In type 2 diabetes, which affects two million people in the UK, insulin is produced by the body in insufficient quantities or does not work properly. Dr Rena discovered chemicals in black tea, known as theaflavins and thearubigins, mimic the action of insulin, which helps the body convert sugar to energy.

This article was published on Wed 5 March 2008

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