MONDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Components found in black tea may be helpful in controlling diabetes, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Food Science.
Haixia Chen, of Tianjin University in China, and colleagues analyzed the glycosidase inhibitory effects of polysaccharides called GTPS, OTPS and BTPS from green, oolong and black tea, respectively.
The researchers found that black tea polysaccharide showed a dose-dependent effect on α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, with 91 percent inhibition at a concentration of 200 µg/mL. At this same concentration, inhibition from green tea and oolong polysaccharide was only 11.2 and 22.3 percent, respectively. The inhibition of α-glycosidase and other carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes can slow absorption of glucose and decrease postprandial hyperglycemia, the authors write.
"There are considerable differences between the yield and composition of the polysaccharide from green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. The three polysaccharides also differed in their molecular weight distribution, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, and antioxidant properties. As a result, black tea polysaccharide consisted of a high proportion of low molecular weight fractions, which was associated with high bioactivities. There is a potential for exploitation of black tea polysaccharide in curing diabetes," Chen and colleagues conclude.
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