Milk Tea vs Black Tea: Diabetes-Friendly Choices

Tea, one of the most consumed beverages in the world, offers immense health benefits to the body, especially to diabetes patients. However, if you have diabetes, it becomes crucial to choose your tea wisely. Not all types of teas are healthy for diabetes patients. 

Let’s know more about the benefits of the tea and the best teas for diabetes patients in this article.

Benefits of Tea for Diabetes Patients

Tea offers many health benefits to the body. It not only reduces the risks of developing type 2 diabetes but also averts the risk of developing diabetes complications if you already have diabetes. 

Some important health benefits of tea include:

• improving insulin sensitivity
• controlling blood pressure levels
• preventing blood clots   
• reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases
• averting the risk of cancer

How Does Tea Help Manage Diabetes?

Polyphenols found in tea have anti-oxidative properties, which help prevent inflammation and carcinogens. Hence, tea is beneficial for reducing the risk of both type 2 diabetes and cancer. In fact, a Dutch study also indicates that drinking three cups of tea can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 40%. 

Furthermore, tea is also loaded with flavonoids which help enhance the functions of body organs. One of the most beneficial flavonoids found in tea is theanine. It helps control blood pressure levels in the body and alleviates stress. 

Are All Teas Equally Beneficial?

In diabetes, the choice of foods and beverages matters the most. They can impact blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity and other diabetes complications in the body. The same principle applies to tea as well. 

There are many types of tea, such as black tea, milk tea, etc. However, not all teas benefit your health equally. 

Black Tea vs Milk Tea

Black tea and milk tea are two of the most commonly consumed teas in the world. However, out of these two, one is a healthier choice for diabetes, and the other is not.    

Black tea contains potent plant compounds such as theaflavins and thearubigins, which exhibit anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and blood-sugar-lowering properties. In addition, the polyphenols found in black tea also help encourage healthy insulin secretion and increase insulin sensitivity in the body. 

Milk tea, on the other hand, is known to reduce insulin sensitivity in the body, thereby adversely affecting your diabetes management. 

Hence, if you wish to drink tea, prefer black tea over milk tea. There are also other teas that can benefit your health in diabetes. Some of them are mentioned below. 

More Teas For People With Diabetes

• Green Tea

Green tea offers ample benefits for people with diabetes. It helps reduce cellular damage, lower inflammation and stabilise blood sugar levels in the body. Furthermore, drinking green tea is known to reduce the risk of developing diabetes in the first place. 

• Hibiscus Tea

Hibiscus is imbued with beneficial polyphenol antioxidants that offer numerous health benefits to the body, such as lowering blood pressure levels, reducing inflammation, etc. In addition, hibiscus tea also helps reduce insulin resistance. 

• Cinnamon Tea

Cinnamon has potent anti-diabetic properties. Cinnamon tea is beneficial in not only reducing blood sugar levels but also promoting insulin sensitivity in the body.  

• Turmeric Tea

Blessed with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric is one of the best spices for diabetes patients. Curcumin, an active component of turmeric, helps reduce blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity in the body.

• Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is known for its numerous health benefits. It not only controls blood sugar levels but also protects the body against oxidative stress, which is one of the leading causes of several diabetes complications. 

The Final Takeaway

Tea is highly beneficial for people with diabetes. It helps improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation and control blood sugar levels in the body. However, not all teas are healthy for diabetes patients. Whereas black tea helps improve insulin sensitivity in the body, milk tea reduces insulin sensitivity. Therefore, if you have diabetes, you must drink black tea and avoid milk tea. Other teas that are equally healthy for diabetes patients include green tea, chamomile tea, turmeric tea, etc. 

References

• https://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/tea-and-diabetes.html
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/tea-for-diabetics
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/tea-and-diabetes
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286122886_Can_drinking_black_tea_fight_diabetes_Literature_review_and_theoretical_indication
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516848/
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