A new study has suggested that drinking more cups or tea or coffee throughout the day could help those with diabetes live longer lives. Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 3.9million people in Britain, causing symptoms such as high blood sugar levels which can result in heart attacks or strokes.
But steering clear of fizzy, sugary drinks and opting for tea or coffee instead, which have anti-inflammatory benefits, could be hugely beneficial according to experts from Harvard University.
The scientists carried out a study which spanned over 18 years, tracking participants' drinking habits and how it affected their health. 15,000 people in America with type 2 diabetes and an average age of 61 took part in the experiment, the full details of which were published in the British Medical Journal.
The team found that those who liked to drink more than one fizzy drink each day were five times more likely to die prematurely. However, participants who drank up to six cups of coffee had a 26 per cent reduced risk of early death, with a 21 per cent lowering for frequent tea-drinkers, the Sun reports.
Those who opted to drink more coffee and tea after they were diagnosed with diabetes had an 18 per cent lower risk of an early death, the team found. There were 7,638 deaths among the 15,486 diabetics, working out to around 49 per cent. Approximately 3,447 participants developed heart disease.
Researcher Dr Le Ma said: “Coffee has beneficial constituents which may reduce inflammation. Tea is also a good source of polyphenols, especially catechins, which bear antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.”
Dr Le Ma said good drink choices among diabetics were vital for good health. Similarly, participants who preferred to drink water (23 per cent) or low fat milk (12 per cent) also benefitted from improved health compared to fizzy juice drinkers.
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