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Black Tea Effect Study

Natural chemicals contained in black tea might mimic insulin's effects in the body and help protect against diabetes, according to a study conducted by researchers from Dundee University and the Scottish Crop Research Institute, and published in the journal Aging Cell.

"There is definitely something interesting in the way these naturally occurring components of black tea may have a beneficial effect, both in terms of diabetes and our wider health," said lead researcher Graham Rena.

Scientists discovered that a variety of compounds that are found in black tea have the same effect on proteins known as "foxos" that insulin does.

"Foxos have previously been shown to underlie associations between diet and health in a wide variety of organisms including mice, worms and fruit flies," Rena said. "The task now is to see whether we can translate these findings into something useful for human health."

While much research has been conducted recently into the health benefits of green tea, black tea has received less attention.

"In some studies, black tea consumption has been associated with a lower incidence of heart disease and cancer, but the mechanisms are far from clear," the researchers wrote. "With the exception of water, tea is the most popular drink globally, but despite this, little is known about the biological availability of black tea polyphenols in vivo or the molecular target(s) mediating the effects."

More than 20 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with diabetes, and the World Health Organization estimates that more than 350 million worldwide will have the disease by 2030.

But Rena warned that the preliminary research from the current study should not lead people to stop taking diabetes medicine and drink black tea instead.

"People shouldn't be rushing to drink masses of black tea thinking it will cure them of diabetes," he said. "We are still some way from this leading to new treatments or dietary advice."

Black tea can help fight cavities and prevent gum disease. The beverage interferes with harmful bacteria in the mouth that form dental plaque, explains Christine Wu, professor of periodontics, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. She and her colleagues found in a study that chemical components in black tea, called tea polyphenols, suppressed the growth of cavity-causing bacteria in plaque and reduced acid production levels.

Tea polyphenols also inhibited an enzyme produced by the bacteria, glucosyltansferase, thus preventing the formation of the matrix material by which dental plaque adheres to tooth surfaces. In addition, the size and stickiness of dental plaque were reduced because certain bacteria, when exposed to black tea, lost their ability to form aggregates with other bacteria.

Dental plaque consists of more than 300 species of bacteria embedded in a chemical and biological matrix that adheres to the tooth surface. The bacteria in plaque ferment dietary sugars to produce acid, leading to the formation of cavities on tooth surfaces. Dental plaque causes gum disease, a primary cause of tooth loss in adults.

The study included several trials in which the volunteers rinsed their mouths with black tea at different intervals. In one, those who rinsed with black tea for one minute 10 times a day had less plaque accumulation. In another, a single 30-second rinse had no effect, but multiple rinsings prevented the bacteria from any further growth and lowered acid production. "If sequenced properly between meals and normal oral hygiene, drinking black tea could reduce the number of cavities and prevent periodontal disease," Wu argues.

See Also:

• Tea Storage
• Tea Infusion Skills
• Tea and Water
• Green Tea Benefits
• Green Tea Effect Study
• Chun Mee Tea
• Gunpowder Tea
• Da Fang Tea
• Huo Qing Tea