For all the hoopla about the importance of fruits and vegetables in the diet, for most diabetics and for the public in general the single greatest daily source of antioxidants is coffee and tea. New research from the UK, however, reports that adding milk or cream to tea has substantial impact on the availability of its antioxidants.

Improved Blood Sugar Levels: The catechins in tea have been linked to improvements in the control of blood sugar levels as well as to lowering the risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Green (unfermented) tea contains 30 to 40 per cent catechins by weight, while black (fermented) tea still contains 3 to 10 per cent catechins. Both green tea and black tea are important as sources of catechins and other antioxidants in diets throughout the world. Black tea is especially important in the English-speaking world, primarily as iced tea in America, and primarily as hot tea in other countries.

Adding milk to tea: Lisa Ryan and Sebastien Petit of the Functional Food Center at Oxford Brookes University report findings that adding any kind of milk to tea (hot or cold) lowers the available antioxidant content by about 7 per cent. Adding skim milk to tea, however, lowers the available antioxidant content by about 25 per cent. This finding adds to previous research advising against the addition of milk to tea. In 2007 scientists at the Charite Hospital in Berlin reported that straight black tea opens arteries to the heart and helps lower blood pressure, but that proteins in milk added to tea cancel out this benefit.

Adding milk to coffee: Scientists have also looked at the effects of adding milk and cream to coffee. In 2009 researchers at the food giant Nestle reported in the Journal of Nutrition that adding milk or cream to coffee had no effect on the availability of the antioxidant isoferulic acid, ferulic acid, or caffeic acid from the beverage. Adding non-dairy creamer and sugar to instant coffee, however, made the heart-healthy and cancer-preventative antioxidants unavailable.

Higher Blood Sugar Levels: Coffee also contains large amounts of the antioxidant chlorogenic acid… this is what helps give coffee its flavor, and magnesium. Both of these improve insulin sensitivity and therefore reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

If you already have type 2 diabetes though, the news isn’t so good. Coffee raises your blood sugar level in the short term, and if you have already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, drinking coffee makes it much more difficult for you to control your blood sugar levels and to also lose weight.

If you drink coffee it is best to only drink two cups each day… without the non-dairy creamer and sugar!

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