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Green Tea and Coffee Linked with Longer Lifespan in People with Diabetes

Green tea and coffee contain healthy antioxidants, and researchers wonder if benefits of these beverages extend to people with type 2 diabetes as well. In this study, scientists followed 4,923 Japanese adults (aged 66, on average) with type 2 diabetes for about 5 years to study their beverage habits and health outcomes. Compared with drinking no green tea, drinking at least 4 cups per day was linked with a 40% lower risk of death, drinking 2-3 cups was linked with a 27% lower risk of death, and drinking smaller amounts (up to 1 cup per day) was linked with a 15% lower risk of death. Similarly, compared with never drinking coffee, drinking at least 2 cups per day was linked with a 41% lower risk of death, drinking 1 cup per day was linked with a 19% lower risk of death, and drinking smaller amounts (less than 1 cup per day) was linked with a 12% lower risk of death. Interestingly, the benefits of drinking both coffee and green tea were additive, meaning that drinking both coffee and green tea each day may be extra beneficial.
BMJ Open Diabetes Research Care. 2020 Oct;8(1):e001252. doi: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2020-001252. (Komorita Y et al.)

Tea Consumption May Decrease Risk of Osteoporosis

Tea is known for its disease-fighting antioxidants, but research has been unclear about the connection between tea and osteoporosis. Researchers analyzed 16 studies to find out more about this potential connection. They found that tea consumption could increase bone mineral density (how many minerals are in the bones), which decreases likelihood of developing osteoporosis. However, researchers found no association between tea consumption and fractures caused by osteoporosis, and indicated a need for more studies on the topic.
Nutrition Research. 2017 Feb 28;42:1-10. (Guo M et al.)

Healthy Plant Foods (Whole Grains, Pulses, Vegetables, Nuts, etc.) May Lower Diabetes Risk

Plant-based diets are linked with numerous health benefits, but you must take care to choose healthier plant foods close to nature, that haven’t been refined or include lots of added sugars. To investigate the importance of this point, Harvard researchers analyzed the eating habits of 195,727  adults across three large cohorts, and tracked their health records for decades. Eating a healthy plant based diet (with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, tea, and coffee) was linked with a 34% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, while eating a less healthy plant based diet (with fruit juice, sugary drinks, refined grains, potatoes, and desserts) was linked with a 16% higher risk of diabetes.
PLoS Medicine. 2016 Jun 14;13(6):e1002039. (Satija A et al.)

Green Tea May Aid Weight Control

Chinese researchers seeking to evaluate the effect of green tea in combination with inulin for potential impact on body weight and fat mass asked 30 obese and overweight adults to drink either regular tea or catechin-rich green tea with inulin, for six weeks.  Researchers concluded that continuous intake of green tea and inulin may support weight management, and that the positive effects continued were sustained two weeks after ending consumption.
British Journal of Nutrition.  2012 Mar; 107:749-754  (Yang et al.)

Japanese and Chinese Teas Reduce Parkinson's Risk

An association between coffee intake and reduced risk of Parkinson’s Disease has been observed in Western populations, and researchers at Fukuoka University in Japan set out to see if a similar association might exist with tea in Asian populations. They compared 249 people with Parkinson’s to 368 controls. After adjusting for confounding factors, they determined there was a clear dose-response relationship between drinking more caffeine from all sources (coffee, black tea, Chinese tea, Japanese tea) and reduced risk of Parkinson’s.
Parkinsonism and Related Disorders. July 2011; 17(6):446-50 (Tanaka et al.)