Green Tea Improves Glucose Control

Swiss researchers report that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a flavonal in green tea, alleviates diabetes in mice and rats.

Type II diabetic mice were given diets containing 2.5, 5, or 10 grams per kilogram of a green tea extract providing over 94% EGCG. A control group of diabetic mice received no EGCG, and another group was treated with an anti-diabetic drug.

EGCG dose-dependently improved glucose levels and tolerance in diabetic mice after five weeks. Mice that received the highest dose experienced a 37% average reduction in glucose levels compared to animals that did not receive the compound. Triglyceride levels were also dose-dependently reduced and insulin secretion was increased.

A person weighing 150 pounds weighs 70 kg. Thus an equivalent human dose for the highest mice dosage (10 g/kg) would be 700 g (1.5 pounds) per day.

“Dietary supplementation with EGCG could potentially contribute to nutritional strategies for the prevention and treatment of type II diabetes mellitus,” the authors concluded.

Source

Wolfram S, Raederstorff D, Preller M, Wang Y, Teixeira SR, Riegger C, Weber P. Epigallocatechin gallate supplementation alleviates diabetes in rodents. J Nutr. 2006 Oct;136(10):2512-8.

Key concepts: green tea, diabetes, glucose control