Published on June 3rd, 2013
In a recently published study, scientists report that green tea extract improves blood sugar metabolism in diabetic rats. The American Diabetes Association states that 25.8 million Americans have diabetes.
Scientists evaluated the impact of green tea in healthy and diabetic rats. The rats received 300 mg/kg body weight of green tea extract daily for 30 days. The researchers evaluated blood glucose, insulin, hemoglobin and hemoglobin A1c, which measures long-term blood sugar control. The investigators also assessed key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism including hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphatase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase.
The investigators found that green tea supplementation in diabetic rats resulted in significantly reduced levels of plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1c and increased levels of insulin and hemoglobin. Additionally, the researchers showed that alterations in the carbohydrate metabolism enzymes seen in diabetic rats were reverted to near normal levels by the supplementation with green tea extract. The investigators also determined that green tea supplementation to the diabetic rats improved muscle and hepatic glycogen content, suggesting the anti-hyperglycemic potential of green tea extract.
The scientists stated, “This study indicates that the administration of green tea extract to diabetic rats resulted in alterations in the metabolism of glucose with subsequent reduction in plasma glucose levels.”
Reference:
Sundaram R, et al. Phytomedicine. 2013 Feb 27. [Epub ahead of print.]
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