19
Sep
2013

Benefits of green tea to control blood sugar


From CAM Report-

Diabetes-tool-box2-150x150Researchers in Chongqing, People’s Republic of China, evaluated the effect of green tea on glucose control and insulin sensitivity.

First, the details.

  • 17 studies with data from 1133 people were included in the meta-analysis.
  • Jadad scores were used to assess the quality of the studies-

And, the results.

  • Drinking green tea significantly reduced the fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c (A1c) concentrations by -0.09 mmol/L and -0.30%, respectively.
    • Blood levels of A1c are used to measure average blood sugar levels over prolonged periods.
  • The best studies, based on high Jadad scores, showed that green tea significantly reduced fasting insulin concentrations (-1.16 ?IU/mL).

The bottom line?

The authors concluded, “This meta-analysis suggested that green tea had favorable effects, ie, decreased fasting glucose and A1c concentrations.”

Most important is the significant reduction in A1c achieved by green tea.