The ever-rising cases of diabetes across the globe have become a cause of concern. Diabetes is difficult to manage and may lead to other serious illnesses like dementia, heart ailments, cancer etc., which affect the quality of life. Although medical treatment may help control the condition, lifestyle and diet modification is still considered a more effective means of treatment. Among many other foods and drinks preferred in a diabetes diet, green tea and coffee are now being considered a viable option too. If the findings of a new study are to be believed, drinking ample amount of green tea and coffee may lower the death rate in diabetes patients.
The research was conducted in Japan and the results were published in the online journal 'BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care'. The study suggests that drinking 4 or more cups of green tea and 2 or more cups of coffee every day over a period of 5 years could bring around 63% lower mortality rate in diabetes patients.
The research roped in a total of 4923 patients dealing with type 2 diabetes of mean age of 66 years. 2790 of them were men and 2133 of them were women. Green tea and coffee consumption was evaluated through self-administered questionnaires.
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"In this prospective study, we found that higher green tea and coffee consumption was significantly associated with decreased all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. This association remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders: the impact of each beverage on mortality was independent. Further, the combination of higher green tea and coffee consumption significantly reduced all-cause mortality risk by 63%," the report read.
Green tea is obtained from the fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis, and it contains phenolic compounds, theanine, and caffeine. Coffee contains bioactive chemicals, including phenolic compounds and caffeine, and both are loaded with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
However, the limitations of the study should be taken into consideration. First, green tea and coffee consumption was assessed using single, self-reported data, and secondly, green tea and coffee available in Japan may not be the same as found in other parts of the world.