Not Getting Enough Shut-Eye May Increase Your Risk of Diabetes

An inadequate amount of sleep, coupled with lack of exercise and poor diet, may increase your risk of developing diabetes.

The results of a new study by the University of Chicago confirm that the ability to regulate one's blood sugar is dependent on how much sleep the person gets.

Five men and six women volunteered for the study. All were middle-aged, little overweight and exercised rarely. The study consisted of two 14-day periods: one where they were allowed to sleep 8.5 hours nightly and one where they were restricted to 5.5 hours of shut-eye a night. The volunteers were not allowed to exercise and junk food was made available to them.

When sleeping too little, the volunteers' blood sugar was higher on a glucose tollerance test and they became less sensitive to the blood sugar hormone insulin.

Black Tea May Fight Diabetes

According to Science Daily and the Journal of Food Science, black tea may useful in controlling diabetes.

Researchers from the Tianjin Key Laboratory in China studied the polysaccharide levels in black, green and oolong teas. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate which may help retard the absorption of glucose in people with diabetes. The researchers found that the polysaccharides in black tea were the most sucessful at inhibiting glucose and would be the most valuable for diabetes management.

So, drink up! Whether you prefer your black tea hot or iced, with milk or lemon, drink to your health.