Diabetes appears in the human body by three main causes;
1. When insulin is not produced:
2. When produced insulin is not in sufficient amount: &
3. When insulin is not properly utilized.
Insulin controls the amount of sugar in the blood & hence if insulin is insufficient, amount of sugar increases in blood & causes diabetes.
A gland, called pancreas containing islets of Langerhans is situated in between stomach & small intestine. There are two types of cells in islets of Langerhans-
1. Alpha cells- They produce a hormone called Glucagons which converts glycogen to glucose.
2. Beta cells- They produce a hormone called insulin which converts glucose to glycogen.
Insulin controls & regulates the amount of glucose level in the blood. If insulin can't do this function, glucose blocks the porous portion of glomerulus of kidney which ultimately results in kidney failure.
The amount of glucose in the body determines whether a person is a diabetic patient or not, such as:
Person
Sugar Fasting plasma sugar Post-Prandial(PP)
1. Healthy Person 80-110(mg/dl) up to 140(mg/dl)
2. Impaired Glucose Tolerance 110-126 140-199
3. Diabetic Patient More than 126 More than 200
When Beta cells of Pancreas fail to produce the insulin, such a man is said to suffer from a disease called" Diabetes mellitus". Symptoms are high blood sugar level, high sugar in urine, weakness, recurrent infection etc. Patients suffer from continued weakness & ultimately die off various complications.
o Rise of sugar level in blood is called Hyperglycemias.
o Fail of sugar level in blood is called Hypoglycemia.
o Excretion of sugar in urine is called "glucosuria.
Types of diabetes;
1. Type- 1 diabetes or insulin dependent diabetes;
It appears generally to children & adults because pancreas either produces very little or can't produce insulin in their body.
2. Type- 2 diabetes or Non-insulin dependent diabetes:
Generally it appears above the age of 40 years, when amount of insulin produced is insufficient or insulin does not work properly. This type is common to obese people, persons with high BP or persons with parental (genetic) diabetes. Insulin tablets are given to such patients to control & balance the sugar in blood. Maintaining ideal weight, food care & regular exercise are the preventive measures.
3. Type-3 diabetes or Gestational diabetes:
It appears during pregnancy period to those who are over age , over weight or with family history of genetic diabetes. Powerful anti oxidant property of tea hammers on pancreas & activates islets of Langerhans to produce insulin in proper amount & hence it prevents diabetic patients easily.
Tea possesses anti-diabetic activity & is effective in the prevention & treatment of diabetes. Tea polyphenols have a capacity to lower serum glucose because they inhibit the activity of starch digesting enzyme "amylase". Tea inhibits both salivary & intestinal amylase, so that starch is broken down more slowly & the rise in serum glucose is thus minimized. In addition, according to one recent study, tea may reduce the intestinal absorption of glucose too.
v According to the US department of agriculture, green tea can be an effective weapon in the fight against diabetes because it boosts insulin activity in the body by more than 15-fold.
v Animal studies suggest that green tea help prevent the development of type-1 diabetes & slow the progression once it has developed. People with type-1 diabetes produce little or no insulin, a hormone that converts glucose (sugar), starches & other foods into energy needed for daily life. Green tea may help regulate glucose in the body.
v Obesity is a major cause of diabetes. Several studies have suggested that green tea can help control weight by slightly speeding up metabolism & encouraging the body to burn extra calories.
The results showed that there was an inverse association between green tea consumption & the risk of type-2 diabetes. That is the more green tea a person drank (up to 6 cups a daily), the lower his her risk of developing disease.
Interestingly enough, the link between green tea & a lessened risk of diabetes was much stronger for women than men.
-Isho H: date C. & friends- Japan
(Annals of internal Medicine-2006)
