Well, I had a very interesting morning today. A couple of hours after my usual breakfast & usual dose of Insulin, I started feeling bad. When that happens, the first thing I think about is low blood sugar, so I test. I'm at 45 - the lowest I've ever been & also very dangerous (you diabetics know what I'm talking about). I start thinking about what I did differently - food, exercise, etc. Then I remembered that a few days ago I started drinking Green Tea because I read that it's good for knee pain which I started having a few days ago. I found some useful information. (looks I'll have to lower my insulin dose) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23803878/ https://nutritionandmetabolism.biom... trials, green,on glycemic control are needed. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/...The Bottom Line,sugar and increase gut health. The result: Green tea extract was shown to lower blood sugar while reducing gut inflammation and permeability among people with metabolic syndrome and those without. Is green tea good to lower blood sugar? The Bottom Line. This new green tea study found that consuming catechins from green tea extract—to the tune of what you'd sip in about five cups of green tea—can decrease blood sugar and increase gut health.Aug 2, 2022 Green tea is packed full of health-promoting compounds. Regularly drinking green tea can help you lose weight and reduce your risk of several diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Drinking three to five cups of green tea per day seems to be optimal to reap the most health benefits.Nov 27, 2023
We drink organic green tea mixed with organic peppermint tea, made from loose leaves. I don't have problems with it at all, although I was last tested as being pre-diabetic. I take no insulin or anything else. But I do know what you mean about low blood sugar, which I've had on occasion. It feels pretty weird — freaked out, shakiness, etc. Time to get some protein and possibly sugar in there!
I started having problems with blood sugar 60 years ago when I was 11. I passed out in school & they wouldn't let me back in until I saw a doctor. The doctor didn't test my blood sugar; he just gave me an acne medication. I found out what the problem was on my own when I realized that when I felt like fainting, I'd feel OK after I had a candy bar, so........I made sure to eat lots of candy.
Would the tea have the same benefit if you added a tiny amount of sugar or honey to the cup? Just wondering.
Funny you should ask. I picked up some green tea bags today & I'm trying a cup now with 1/2 tsp. sugar; that's how much I add to my coffee. Unsweetened Green Tea tastes very bitter & I drank the first bottle (already brewed) without adding sugar. Of course it's terrible, but I'll drink it anyway - like medicine. I just finished a 12-oz cup with two bags. I don't really care for it, so I'll stick with the bottle. I prefer coffee, anyway. I bought a case of the "Itoen" brand from an Asian market yesterday. It comes in "Light" or "Dark" brew. I chose the dark - I imagine it's stronger. There are 12 large bottles in a case - 16.9 oz each for around $30.00. I'll try two cups/day. More info: I didn't take my regular Humalog Insulin with lunch today just to see the results. Besides, I was afraid of another low - especially since I was driving - running errands. I went for my usual 30-minute walk. Usually, if I skip insulin with lunch, I'll be high when I get home - 300-350. Today, without any lunch time insulin, I was at 266 two hours later. That really a big improvement because I added 2 slices of toast at lunch (just to see what would happen,) which I usually don't do. Two slices of Eziekel bread is 30 gms carbs.
Depending how deep into the weeds you wanna get, there are lots of different types of loose green teas that will be way more flavorful than the dregs ("fannings") they put into bags. If you have an Asian market near you, that will be your "maximum selection/lowest price" local option. Or you can try some online sources. I use to drink a lot of green tea, and have bought from Generation Tea and Mighty Leaf. My A1C has been in the "High Normal" range. Maybe I'll start drinking green teas again.
When I lived in Japan, they always served what I considered to be very weak green tea, but a lot of it. Often when I would visit someone, they would bring me tea and leave me alone, then return in a few minutes with a pot to refill my cup. I was not used to being left a lone when I arrived at a home with an invitation. I was told they believed visitors needed time alone to collect their thoughts and rest after a long journey. Different than when I visited folks here. That would have been considered rude.
We were buying organic Traditional Medicinals green tea with peppermint tea bags. We still have some of those, but are now buying organic green tea and peppermint tea in bulk and steeping them together. Much prefer it, but that's just us.
My friends were mostly in Osaka, not Tokyo. I do not know if it was regional or not. My main friend's family was wealthy, and lived within a walled garden with a tea house and everything, so that may have affected customs as well. We did drink a LOT of green tea though.
Interesting Update: Since I'm trying 2 cups of Green Tea/day, I'm checking my sugar more often because I need to avoid dangerous lows. Last night before bed, I was at 178. This morning - 118, which is very good fasting number for a diabetic (non diabetics will be 85-99). I'm usually much higher when I wake up. This morning, I reduced my insulin down to 5 units & also had more carbs at breakfast, including some pineapple & 1/2 banana, which would normally spike my blood sugar into the 300's without extra insulin. At two hours, I was at 179 & could feel my sugar dropping. Looks like the Green Tea is helping. If any of you want to try this, remember to check your sugar more frequently; as you diabetics know, low sugar is dangerous. So.....why don't doctors provide information about these benefits??
To be honest, I'm using the Dr. Jason Fung Diabetes Code method. It really appears to be doing something regarding the blood sugars. Anyway, the Kindle book is something like $9.99 at Amazon. Couldn't hoit.