A link has been found between drinking tea and the risk of developing diabetes.

A cup of tea a day may prevent the development of diabetes (although Australian and Chinese experts say not every type of tea provides the greatest benefit). Experts believe that the invigorating drink has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

The first cup of tea often seems like salvation in the morning, writes the Daily Mail. Now, research shows that this tea drinking ritual is also beneficial for your health – it reduces the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes by 28 percent.

Experts believe that tea has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that improve insulin sensitivity.

The effect was especially strong in dark tea, an ancient tea whose production process uses microbiological fermentation.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia and Southeast University in China studied the daily tea drinking habits of 1,923 adults in China.

Participants included both non-tea drinkers and those who had only consumed one type of tea in the past.

Participants were asked about the frequency of drinking tea, ranging from “never”, “occasionally” to “often” and “every day”, as well as the type of tea, such as green, black, dark or other tea.

The survey results were then compared with test results for urine sugar, insulin resistance, and glycemic status, defined as a history of type 2 diabetes, current use of antidiabetic medications, or an abnormal 75-g oral glucose tolerance test.

Daily tea consumption was associated with increased urinary glucose excretion and decreased insulin resistance, indicating a decreased likelihood of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

People with diabetes often suffer from renal glucose reabsorption, which means their kidneys extract more glucose, preventing it from being excreted in the urine and causing blood sugar levels to rise, the Daily Mail writes.

Presenting their findings at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Hamburg, Germany, the researchers found that those who enjoy drinking a cup of tea had a 15% lower risk of developing prediabetes and a 28% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to compared to those who have never drank tea.

Professor Tongzhi Wu from the University of Adelaide and lead author of the study said: “Our results indicate a protective effect of habitual tea drinking on blood sugar levels by increasing urinary glucose excretion, improving insulin resistance and thus better blood sugar control. These benefits were most pronounced among daily dark tea drinkers.”

Those who drank dark tea had a 53% lower risk of developing prediabetes and a 47% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even after taking into account established risk factors including body mass index (BMI), mean blood pressure, and blood glucose levels. fasting plasma, cholesterol, alcohol consumption, smoking, family history of diabetes and regular exercise.

The researchers stressed that the results were obtained through observational studies, so they could not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, but hope to do so in future studies.

Professor Zhilin Sun from Southeastern University highlights: “Our results show that daily consumption of dark tea potentially reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes through better blood sugar control. If you look at all the different biomarkers associated with habitual dark tea consumption , this may be one simple step people can easily take to improve their diet and health.”