It is widely known that tea is one of the best choices if you are looking for an overall healthy beverage. But while there's a vague awareness that it's a healthy drink, what exactly does it do? There are many health benefits associated with drinking tea, including lowering your blood sugar.
However, this does not mean that every tea has a positive effect on blood sugar. Ultimately, there is no universal answer to how your blood sugar is affected when you drink tea, as it depends on how you take it and what tea you drink. A sweet tea loaded with sugar is sure to raise blood sugar, while other teas without added sugar can help lower it.
When it comes to lowering your blood sugar, here's how tea can affect it – and tips to prevent your blood sugar from skyrocketing with this drink. Then, for even more healthy tea tips, check out these 17 amazing things that happen to your body when you drink tea.
Your blood sugar rises when you drink sweet tea.
Sweet tea, while a delicious southern staple, is one of the unhealthiest ways to consume a serving of the aromatic beverage. There's a reason sweet tea has that name, and it's because it's loaded with sugar.
Since is a direct link between regular consumption of sugary drinks and the likelihood of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, since more sugar eaten or drunk leads directly to elevated blood sugar.
Sign up for our newsletter!
Black tea can help glucose levels.
Although sweet tea isn't ideal for keeping blood sugar levels down, that doesn't mean you have to eliminate tea from your diet – opt for black tea instead. This shouldn't be too hard, as black tea includes some of the most popular versions of tea, including English Breakfast and Earl Grey.
A study out of Mahidol University in Thailand suggests black tea is "a promising antidiabetic for blood sugar control," meaning it helps lower blood sugar.
Caffeine can raise blood sugar.
One of the benefits of drinking tea is that it contains caffeine, which means a cup of tea in the morning can perk you up for the day and provide you with energy, but according to registered dietician Justine Chan, RDCaffeine can also have negative side effects on blood sugar levels.
"Teas contain caffeine unless they are herbal or decaffeinated teas," says Chan. "Caffeine alone can increase blood sugar levels due to its stimulant effects."
Also, a study out of Central Michigan UniversityThey found that ingesting caffeine not only increases blood sugar levels, but also prolongs the amount of time blood sugar is elevated.
Sour tea is good for blood sugar.
Sweet and sour are opposite taste profiles, and in the case of blood sugar levels, these teas have opposite effects in the body. While sweet tea usually raises blood sugar, acidic teas-including hibiscus tea, which is made from the hibiscus sabdariffa plant-have the opposite effect, as it has been shown to have the ability to lower blood sugar.
Not only is hibiscus tea beneficial for lowering blood sugar, but a study from the University of Arizona shows that as well Daily consumption of hibiscus tea has also been linked to lowering blood prereas most people with type 2 diabetes also have high blood prere.
Green tea contains EGCG.
If you've heard that green tea is healthy for you, you've heard right. The brewed beverage has been linked to cure headaches, promote weight loss and improve mental alertness, but it's also beneficial for anyone trying to lower their blood sugar.
"Green tea has beneficial polyphenol compounds, EGCG [epigallocatechin gallate] has been shown to promote blood sugar regulation," says Sara Chatfield, RD At the Health Channel.
If you only have black tea packs at home, it's not a problem because Chatfield says the two varieties contain many of the same beneficial compounds, and theaflavins found in black tea also help lower blood sugar.
Tea helps you avoid dehydration.
Sure, drinking tea is associated with many health benefits, but the most obvious is that the beverage helps prevent dehydration. While dehydration can cause fatigue and confusion, it can also lead to elevated blood sugar.