An antioxidant compound in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), is as effective in moderately diabetic mice as Avandia, a diabetes drug from GlaxoSmithKline. That is according to researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
The test was carried out on five-week-old moderately diabetic and severely diabetic mice who were either fed EGCG or given Avandia. Their blood sugar and insulin levels were studied after five and 10 weeks of treatment.
The moderately diabetic mice did well on green tea extract as they did on Avandia (a.k.a. rosiglitazone). EGCG was not as effective in the severely diabetic group.
This study suggests that supplements of green tea extract may help prevent and treat the disease in people. More than 240 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes and the number may rise to 380 million within 20 years, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
Source: Healthy News Service September 29, 2007; The China Post, September 21, 2007; European Association for the Study of Diabetes, Amsterdam, 19 September 2007
Chapter: Diabetes :: 24 October 2007
