While white and green tea are known to have substantial health benefits, black tea is another matter. Often consumed with milk and sugar, this caffeinated beverage is typically seen more as an alternative to coffee than a source of nutrition in its own right. However, according to a recent study, drinking black tea regularly may be related to a reduced chance of developing diabetes.
According to reports, researchers from Data Mining International, a Geneva-based company that devises mathematical algorithms to uncover data patterns, reviewed medical trends of countries that are known to consume high amounts of black tea and compared them to nations that didn't actively incorporate the beverage into daily life. The study involved 50 countries overall, spread across every continent, and the researchers focused specifically on incidents of heart disease, diabetes and cancer along with other potentially life-threatening conditions.
After compiling this data, the analysts established a correlation between just one of the targeted diseases and black tea consumption. Countries where people drank the most black tea – namely Ireland, the United Kingdom and Turkey – reportedly had significantly lower rates of Type 2 diabetes in contrast to South Korea, Brazil and Morocco, where black tea drinking is minimal.
While this result is promising, the researchers involved were quick to clarify that diabetes is a complex condition influenced by multiple environmental and genetic factors. So, though diabetes rates may be lower in tea-drinking nations, that doesn't necessarily mean there is a cause and effect relationship between the two.
But, given the soaring rates of diabetes across the United States, it may still be a good idea to incorporate green, white and black teas into your diet – especially in lieu of overly sweet carbonated beverages.