Green tea and fermented papaya can prevent diabetes, scientists have found.
Researchers at the Center of Excellence for Biomedical and Biomaterials Research at the Mauritius University asked 77 pre-diabetic participants to drink three cups of green tea before meals for 14 weeks.
Another group of 78 people took three cups of hot water everyday for the same period of time, followed by a two-week weaning period.
Both the groups were then tested for the following bio-markers: the rate of glycemia and lipid, the immune system, the functioning of the liver and kidneys, inflammation and the ferrous toxicity.
"We discovered that green tea reinforced the antioxidant defenses of those who had reached the pre-diabetic stage. And most importantly, the tea did not have any negative impact," said Professor Theeshan Bahorun.
Another group of 128 people participated in the study on the impact of fermented papaya on diabetes.
About 50 consumed two sachets of fermented papaya per day for a period of 14 weeks and 78 others took two glasses of hot water each day for the same period, followed by a two-week weaning period, 'Xinhua' news agency reported.
They were then tested for glycemia, cholesterol, urea, creatinine and uric acid.
Researchers found that those who consumed two sachets of fermented papaya showed several positive changes vis-a-vis the diabetes risk factors.
"The Mauritius green tea prevents an increase of sugar levels in blood while the fermented pawpaw (papaya) helps to positively reduce the level of the reactive protein C and the uric acid," Bahorun said.
Bahorun said the results are very significant because they show a reduction of risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases without medical intervention.
