Diabetes is an endocrine system disorder in which your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, mainly due to defective insulin action. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas, which facilitates the entry of sugar from foods you eat into cells in your body to be used as fuel. So, without insulin, there is too much sugar in your blood, which, if not treated, can damage your main bodily organs, including the heart, kidneys, liver, eyes and blood vessels.
Cancer is a disease in which cells in your body divide and grow uncontrollably. Scientists aren't sure of the exact causes of cancer, but there are certain factors that may increase your chance of developing cancer, such as harmful cell mutations, tobacco smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, diet, viral infection and a family history of cancer. Green tea may show promise in the prevention and treatment of various chronic illnesses, including diabetes and cancer.
Plant Description
Green tea is an infusion made from the prepared leaves and leaf buds of the Camellia sinensis plant -- a large, hardy, evergreen shrub belonging to the plant family Theaceae. Camellia sinensis is native to eastern Asia and extensively cultivated in China, India, Japan and Thailand. It is grown to a height of 8 feet, but usually trimmed below 6 feet when it is grown for leaves. The leaves are small, only 4 to 15 cm in diameter. Green tea leaves sometimes have short white hairs on their undersides.
Green Tea Composition
Green tea contains a number of bioactive compounds; however, scientists are more interested in green tea polyphenols, chemicals that exhibit strong antioxidant effects, in the potential that they can prevent and treat various chronic diseases in humans, such as cancer and diabetes. Other phytonutrients that green tea may have include flavonoids, volatile oils, alkaloids, polysaccharides, caffeine, tannin, vitamins and minerals.
Green Tea, Cancer and Diabetes
Green tea may be useful in the fight against diabetes because it has shown to prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes or slow the progression if it indeed has developed, according to a 2007 study conducted by Todd MacKenzie and his colleagues of the Department of Community and Family Medicine at the Dartmouth Medical School, New Hampshire. The hypoglycemic effect of green tea is largely attributed to polyphenols found in the tea. Green tea polyphenols interfere with the production of amylase -- an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the conversion of carbohydrate into sugar.
Green tea polyphenols are effective cancer inhibitors. They capture and neutralize free radicals, highly energized oxygen metabolites, before they can damage cells in your body. Scientists believe that free radicals play a crucial role in cancer development by altering cell's DNA, which may lead to the most common pathway for cancer -- cell mutation, according to the Dining Services at the University of North Texas.
Precautions
Although the US Food and Drug Administration has recognized green tea as safe when used in moderate amounts, you must consume green tea with care, under the supervision of your doctor. Green tea contains a high level of caffeine that may lead to sleep-related problems -- such as insomnia, nervousness and heart irregularities. People who are hypersensitive to caffeine must not consume excessive amounts of green tea, especially at night. People with gastric disorders may also want to avoid green tea because it encourages the production of gastric acid that may worsen peptic ulcers.
References
- Georgetown University: Health Policy Institute: Diabetes
- The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice: The Effect of an Extract of Green and Black Tea on Glucose Control in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Double-Blind Randomized Study by Todd MacKenzie et al
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center: Green Tea: A Review of Potential Health Benefits
- University of North-Texas: Dining Services: Phytonutrients: Reducing Cancer Risk
- Fairfax Country Public Schools: Herbal Supplements
- Colorado State University, Extension: Weight Loss Products and Programs; J. Anderson, L. Young and J Roach; December 2008
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