Chinese Medicine by Day

Green tea–or Camellia sinensis–has been used as medicine by Chinese physicians for thousands of years. 

There’s a lot of noise surrounding green tea’s potential for preventing type 2 diabetes, which according to the CDC bedevils some 11 percent of the U.S. population–a staggering 30 million people.

Diabetes is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke, vision loss, sexual disfunction and a host of other maladies too long to list. Diabetes is bad–and we should avoid developing it at all costs.

There’s a lot we can and should do to reduce the likelihood that we’ll develop type 2 diabetes–from reducing sugar intake to vigorous exercise that includes cardio and weight training, and ensuring we get enough quality sleep.

Can sipping two to three cups of green tea a day help, too?

While research has yet to prove that green tea prevents type 2 diabetes in healthy adults, ongoing studies suggest a strong connection between consumption and healthier metabolic health, including blood sugar levels.

Researchers from The Ohio State University conducted a clinical trial involving 40 individuals that tied green tea consumption to overall lowered blood sugar and decreased gut inflammation in healthy people.

And green tea has been shown to regulate blood sugar levels by lowering fasting blood sugar and HbA1c in people already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

According to the NIH, there is “accruing evidence that tea may prevent diabetes because green tea polyphenols (GTP) have been shown to scavenge free radicals, decrease lipid peroxidation by increasing the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione, and also have antidiabetic effects.”

One of the reasons green tea may play a role in preventing type 2 diabetes? It contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a potent compound that has been shown to increase the uptake of glucose into muscle cells, which a 2019 review also found may be effective in treating obesity.

So, while research has yet to definitively prove that green tea can prevent type 2 diabetes in healthy people–or reverse it in those already diagnosed–there’s enough of a connection (for me) to continue drinking at least a couple of cups per day.

Relying on green tea, however powerful it might be, won’t get us far without other lifestyle modifications. One of my favorites? Walkin’.

Walking: The King of the Biohacks

A brisk 20-30 post-meal walk does wonders for health, with study after study showing that light-intensity walking after meals significantly lowers blood sugar levels when compared to standing or sitting. 

The research on walking is so convincing that even this couch potato gets up and out for a 30 minute walk immediately after lunch and dinner (with some green tea thrown in for good measure).

So, when in doubt: take a walk!