I love my cup of green tea in the morning instead of coffee. And I knew it is one of those drinks that’s good for me (coffee, much as I love it, *really* disagrees with me). But the extent of the goodness continues to amaze… Type 1 diabetes occurs when people are not able to produce any insulin after the cells in the pancreas have been damaged. The incidence of the disease is on the rise at about three percent per year, according to a meta-analysis in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. The number of new cases is estimated to have risen 40% between 2000 and 2010.
A compound in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) may reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
The risk of developing type 1 diabetes was reduced by about 40% in mice genetically modified to develop diabetes, with the potential benefits linked to a potential anti-inflammatory action, according to findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
The compounds thought to contribute to the health-promoting effects ascribed to green tea are polyphenolic compounds called catechins, which have been the focus of many previous studies on green tea, due to their antioxidative properties and their potential role in preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The Virginia-based scientists also report that EGCG-supplemented mice consistently had higher insulin levels and survival rates than the control animals. An elevation in the levels of anti-inflammatory compounds was also observed in the EGCG animals.