GREEN TEA:

Type II Diabetes is a degenerative disease in which the body becomes less efficient at absorbing
and utilizing glucose. It is different than Type I Diabetes because it is acquired as the bodys cells
become less and less receptive to insulinthe shuttle that delivers glucose to be burned and
stored in cellswhereas Type I is present at birth. Elevated production of insulin is a sign of
Diabetes in its gestation period. Insulin is the aging hormone, like oxygen its presence is needed
in the body for metabolism, but resistance linked over production results in what appears to be
rapid aging. It only seems natural that as Western Medicine confronts this epidemic it would turn
to one of natures most renowned anti-aging botanicals, Green Tea.
Diabetes is a highly complex disorder that, while it can be partially attributed to genetic proclivities,
depends primarily on lifestyle choices. An unbalanced diet high in sugar and nutritionally inferior
processed foods (which are full of sugar) combined with a sedentary life are two of the most
common contributing factors leading to the development of Diabetes.
In response to the metabolizing of sugar, the pancreas secretes the enzyme insulin along with
other pancreatic digestive juices to transport glucose into individual cells throughout the body to be
burned (body heat). Insulin is needed because with the exception of the brain and liver most
organs and tissue cannot absorb glucose on their own. In the process water and carbon dioxide
are created, but the cell is also capable of trapping energy through a chemical process. This
energy is a reserve. When blood sugar volumes spike, as they do after eating say a candy bar,
the pancreas must secrete an ample amount of insulin to shuttle the glucose into cellsglucose
is a sticky and gummy substance that can do damage to arteries when it reacts adversely to other
chemicals in the bloodstream or clings to proteins and fats. As the brain, liver, and muscles cells
fill up on glucose, insulin has no other choice but to force excess glucose in the blood into fat cells
for storage as a means to protect the body, hence the correlation between obesity and Diabetes.
Periodic elevated levels of insulin are natural and necessary to assimilate glucose energy from
food to be used for growth and repair, but because of the nature of the insulin hormone, cells
become less and less responsive to it as a transporter the more it is present. Age and insulin
resistance are synonymous with each other. As the body becomes less efficient at metabolizing
lipids and amino acids a whole host of problems begin to arise. A high sugar diet increases the
rate at which your body becomes resistant to insulin among other things. In the gestation period
of Diabetes patients blood insulin levels are often times elevated. In severe cases a state of
starvation has been observed where patients are so resistant to insulin they can eat but not
receive any energy to process nutrients or maintain biological function. Without nutrition the body
dies.
Green Tea has been shown to inhibit the enzyme amylase produced and secreted by the salivary
glands and pancreas for the digestion of starches. This slows the rate at which the sugar
contained in starches is metabolized and released into the bloodstream. Less insulin is required
to shuttle glucose because there is less glucose in the blood, thus insulin resistance is
curbed. Drinking liquids also creates a feeling of satiety. Green Tea adds to this by relaxing the
muscles of the stomach and intestines thus slowing down the physical movement of food. In this
way calorie restriction or fasting is mimicked. Drinking Green Tea has also demonstrated the
ability to prevent metabolism and absorption of triglycerides through the digestive tract. These are
the fatty substances that accumulate as adipose tissue (unsightly fat), clog up arteries, and like
cholesterol can react adversely with oxygen in the bloodstream. Components of Green Tea act
like fat grabbers, passing the undesirable fats through the digestive tract and out the colon.
Exercise is an important factor for the Diabetic as it increases muscle sensitivity to insulin and
burns fat resultant of poor assimilation of glucose in the process. Exercise also lowers the level of
fasting or stored amounts of glucose. Small amounts of caffeine have shown to increase the rate
of fat metabolism. Tea contains caffeine in lower doses than coffee. It should also be noted here
that the body will not metabolize lipids and amino acids when insulin is present as it turns this
function of the liver off. Glucagon, another enzyme produced by the pancreas, is needed by the
liver to convert amino acids found in protein and fat into glucose to be burned
immediately. Problems associated with obesity often apply to diabetics who more rapidly
accumulate fat because of high insulin levels. They are short on energy because their body
cannot metabolize amino acids and lipids as an energy source in the presence of insulin so they
turn to sugary foods which supply a small boost but also increase insulin production and fat
storage so the cycle continues. It is thought that Green Tea may also play a role in the delivery of
glucose to muscle cells thereby decreasing the overall need for insulin in the body. It seems that
by imitating certain hormones in the body, chemicals found in Green Tea mollify the harsh effects
of the bodys catabolic processes necessary for life that lead to age related disease.
Anti-oxidants found in Green Tea scavenge the free radicals created from metabolic function as
well as respiration. These free radicals react with oxygen and other air traveling molecules and
toxins causing cell damage and permutations of the DNA structure that lead to cancer, heart
disease, and organ failure. These same anti-oxidants inhibit the free radicals that are released
when existing body fat is utilized for energy.Diabetics are often subject to high blood pressure and
nervous disorders because of the state of hormonal imbalance. The anti-oxidant polyphenols in
Green Tea deactivate the free radicals that react with LDL cholesterols in the bloodstream that can
contribute to atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke. Because of Green Teas ability to stimulate
metabolism, improve circulation (intercellular exchange), and boost the immune system it leaves
more energy and blood for use by the brain. Tea has been noted for centuries for its stimulating
but paradoxically relaxing effects on the mind and body. Lowered levels of stress, be they internal
or external, are highly important for the Diabetic to maintain as their physiological system is
already under enough strain. Stress triggers the release of adrenaline which raises blood sugar.
Green Tea also protects brain cells and neurons from damage caused by lipid peroxidation in the
nervous system and oxidation of glucose.
Green Tea is not a cure for Diabetes but a natural gift for restoring balance in the human system
and removing unwanted toxins accumulated from the internalizing of the environment.