Lee Swanson Research Update

Green Tea Extract May Reduce Type 1 Diabetes Risk

December 2010

A compound in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) may reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes, a new study with mice suggests.

The risk of developing type 1 diabetes was reduced by about 40% in rodents 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.

"We provide evidence for the first time that dietary intake of EGCG can delay the development of type 1 diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice," the researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University wrote.

"However, further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism for this EGCG action, which will provide valuable information for a clinical trial to further evaluate its anti-diabetic potential in humans with type 1 diabetes," they added.

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.

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.

But some research has also suggested a possible link between green tea consumption and diabetes risk, reporting that tea drinking could bring modest benefits for glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity.

The new study used mice that spontaneously develop type 1 diabetes. The animals were divided into two groups: One group was fed the control diet while the second group had a supplemental dose of EGCG in their drinking water.

When the animals reached 32 weeks of age, the researchers report that 67% of the animals in the control group had become diabetic (8 out of 12 animals), while diabetes affected only 25% of the mice in the EGCG group (3 out of 12).

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.

"This protective effect is probably due to the preservation of functional b-cell mass. In line with this finding, EGCG also exerts a cytoprotective effect on human pancreatic islets exposed to the inflammatory milieu relevant to type 1 diabetes," the researchers added.

British Journal of Nutrition Published online ahead of print.

New to Natural Health?
Tools
Customer Service