Can A Cure For Type 2 Diabetes Be As Simple As Tea?

A new study reported that the most common metabolic disorder in the US, Type 2 Diabetes may be treated, controlled or even prevented with green tea.

Considering that that CDC has noted the number of people is the US diagnosed with Diabetes has more than tripled in the last 30 years w(ith over 20 million afflicted), could a cure for Type 2 Diabetes be as simple as drinking tea?

In the science journal PLOS One, “Green Tea and One of Its Constituents, Epigallocatechine-3-gallate, Are Potent Inhibitors of Human 11 Beta hydroxysteriod Dehydrogenase Type 1”-a mouthful for a title that begs for translation or at least simplification, right?

First you should know that there are over 300 varieties of tea (Camellia sinensis) grown all over the world, the most commonly consumed in China and Japan is of the black tea variety.

Different stages of fermenting tea
Photo By: Haneburger [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Teas are categorized into three classes; fermented black tea which makes up 78%, green tea (which is non-fermented)at just 20%, and semi-fermented varieties such as oolong and other white tea varietals making up less than 10%.

In this study green tea was chosen specifically for its high level of catechins which were found to be successful inhibitors for the 11 beta enzyme. Modulating this enzyme is being explored as a “Therapeutic approach for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome” (Type 2 diabetes), and has been successful in controlling Type 2 diabetes thus far.

According to this study, as much as one-third of all diagnosed patients of Type 2 Diabetes (hypertension and dyslipdaemia) utilize another form of alternative medicine in conjunction with traditional Western medicine prescriptions. Alternative therapies include herbal and dietary supplements.

With the knowledge that historically tea in all varieties has long been considered a healing concoction for many types of ailments, from insomnia, headaches, cold or flu symptoms, menstrual cramps, and even allergies, this study isolated green tea as having the great potential for inhibiting Type 2 diabetes.

Green Tea Leaves, dried (left) boiled (right)
Photo By George Shuklin [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The positive results of this study aim to serve as a foundation for the further study of the cellular structure to aide in the development of agents (synthetic or natural) to treat a range of metabolic syndromes and disorders with the natural benefits of green tea (catechins) to curb the contagious rate of diabetes diagnosis in the US.

Drinking green tea by itself is likely not a complete cure for Type 2 diabetes, but the health benefits found naturally in the things we already consume should be explored further, if not before synthetic drug treatments. If the cure to many diseases can be found growing naturally here on our planet or in our oceans, science and medicine should support this exploration, rather than categorize everything not in a pill bottle as “Eastern medicine”.

Feature Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, “Turkish Tea”,Public Domain Images.