Recent research has shown that green tea extract can be used for up to four weeks to lower blood sugar and improve gut health in patients with high risk factors for heart disease.
This is the first study to assess whether green tea’s anti-inflammatory properties in the gut may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome. It affects approximately one-third Americans.
Professor of Human Nutrition at The Ohio State University, Richard Bruno said that there is a lot of evidence that green tea consumption is linked to higher levels of cholesterol, glucose, and triglycerides. However, no studies have linked it to these health factors.
As a follow up to a 2019 study in which green tea supplements were associated with lower obesity and fewer risks for mice, the team conducted the clinical trial on 40 people.
The new study found that green tea extract reduced blood sugar (or glucose) and gut inflammation and permeability in healthy individuals – an unexpected result.
Bruno stated that this shows us that we can lower blood glucose within a month in both people with metabolic disorder and healthy people. The lowering of blood sugar appears to be linked to decreasing leaky gut, decreasing inflammation, and regardless of your health status.
Recent articles in Current developments in Nutrition have published articles on glucose results, lowered gutpermeability, and inflammation.
Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which a person has excess belly fat, high blood sugar, low HDL (good), cholesterol and high fasting glucose and triglycerides (a type of fat) are all diagnosed.
Bruno stated that although these risk factors are not often severe and don’t require medication management, they pose a great health risk.
“Most doctors will recommend exercise and weight loss at first. He said that most people are unable to follow lifestyle changes for various reasons. “Our goal is to provide people with a new food-based option to reduce their risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
For 28 days, forty participants – 21 of them with metabolic syndrome and 19 others – consumed gummy sweets containing green tea extract rich a anti-inflammatory compound called catechins. Five cups of green tea was consumed daily. All participants were allowed to continue the double-blind crossover trial for another 28 days. They also received a placebo with a one month discount on any supplements.
Researchers found that participants followed a low-polyphenol diet – naturally occurring antioxidants in vegetables, fruits, and teas – during the placebo phase and the green tea extract confection phase of the study. Therefore, any results could not be attributed solely to green tea.
All participants had significantly lower fasting blood glucose levels after drinking green tea extract than levels following the placebo. An analysis of fecal samples showed that green tea extract caused a decrease in gut inflammation in all participants. Researchers also discovered that green tea treatment improved small intestinal permeability by using a method to measure sugar ratios in urine samples.
Leaky gut (or gut permeability) allows intestinal bacteria and other toxic compounds to enter your bloodstream. This causes low-grade chronic inflammation.
Bruno stated that the absorption of gut-derived substances is believed to be a factor in obesity and insulin resistance. This is central to all cardiometabolic diseases. “If we can improve gut health and reduce leaky gut, we may be able not only to alleviate the low-grade inflammation that causes cardiometabolic diseases, but also potentially reverse them.
He said that the study did not try to cure metabolic syndrome. “But, based on the information we have about the causes of metabolic syndrome, it is possible that green tea could be acting at least partially at the gut level to reduce the risk of developing it or reverse it if it already exists.”
Bruno’s laboratory is currently analyzing the microbial communities and levels of bacteria-related toxic toxins in the blood of study participants.
This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at Ohio State.
Min Zeng and Geoffrey Sasaki from Ohio State, Sisi, Yael Vodovotz, Joanna Hodges, and Sisi Cao were co-authors of both papers. Shahabeddin Rezaei and Avinash Pokala also co-authored the paper about glucose reduction.
The article Green Tea Extract Promotes Gut health, Lowers Blood Sugar appeared originally on Alternative Medicine Magazine.
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By: Caralin Walsh
Title: Green Tea Extract Promotes Gut Health, Lowers Blood Sugar
Sourced From: alternativemedicine.com/conditions/diabetes/green-tea-extract-promotes-gut-health-lowers-blood-sugar/
Published Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2022 17:35:55 +0000
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