Diabetics face the unfortunate fate of cognitive decline, thanks to the lifelong disease. Though there is hardly a way to fully prevent the detrimental effects of diabetes, there are certainly ways to reduce the negative effects and slow the rate of decline over the years.
One way to do that is actually pretty easy: drink tea!
Drinking Tea Can Reduce Cognitive Decline
One study out of Singapore looked at the effects of tea on cognitive impairment in elderly adults with Alzheimer’s Disease. The group of researchers gathered data from almost 1,000 people, all elderly and all Chinese, and dissected the results.
They first gave a survey to determine overall tea consumption patterns and then also measured their cognitive skills. Every two years, the researchers measured cognitive performance and collected other data regarding lifestyle, medical conditions, and physical activity.
What they found was that groups that reportedly consumed tea regularly showed a reduced 
risk of cognitive decline by 50%. Some participants who had a predisposition to Alzheimer’s Disease (those who carried the APOE e4 gene) reduced their risk by up to 86%!
The study surprisingly revealed that the type of tea was not necessarily important, so long as it was natural, loose leaf tea such as black tea, green tea, or oolong tea.
It is believed that the antioxidant compounds in tea helped protect the brains of participants, enough that they did not fall victim to the natural process of age-related or disease-related cognitive decline.
Cognitive Decline and Diabetes
Alzheimer’s Disease is obviously a different disease than diabetes, but it is closely related, believe it or not. Alzheimer’s disease is prevalent among diabetics as a result of damaged blood vessels due to unstable blood glucose levels over a span of years.
Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease is also similar to diabetes in that an alternative 
treatment option often involves bypassing glucose as a primary energy source and instead recommends fat as an energy source.
This intimate connection has long been established by medical professionals, and so begs the question of whether tea would also provide similar results to diabetics.
A cup of tea a day may actually keep the cognitive decline away!
[expand title=”References“]
Science Daily. URL Link. Accessed March 21, 2017.
Diabetes.co.uk. URL Link. Accessed March 21, 2017.
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