Black Tea May Help Fight Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is the fastest growing epidemic in the world. According to World Health Organization, more than 350 million people worldwide will have the disease by 2030. Type II diabetes is a disease where the body's cells have become resistant to insulin, an essential regulator of blood sugar.
Dr. Graham Rena and his team at the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Dundee have found that the compounds theaflavins and thearubigins present in black tea may help combat Type II Diabetes. Rena and colleagues are researching these compounds that have the potential to replace insulin in type 2 diabetics. His team has found that the black tea compounds behave like insulin. "There is definitely something worth exploring in these natural substances in black tea, and they may have health giving benefits, not just to people with diabetes" says Rena.
The research is in the beginning stages but Dr. Rena is hoping to get more funding in order to continue his study.

(Medical News Today, March 4, 2008)