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Hi

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Sabre

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
having been a type 2 diabetic for 17 + years ,I would like to get a message to other diabetes type 2 patients . Around 18 months ago ,I read an article about Earl Grey tea ! It stated through scientific research ,1 cup a day took your cholesterol level and pre diabetes level down,having drank around 4 cups with milk and sweetener a day I've totally got my glucose normal 41 and my cholesterol 2.5 ,so from 4 metformin and 4 glictazide per day ,I've resulted to 0 for the last 9 months,and my liver functions have gone to normal !
2 other diabetics friends have been on this and their started lowering there med ,1 was told before he started drinking , the next appointment would be facing injections .
So please have ago ,what have you to lose ? Your medication !
A cup of Earl Grey 'as good as statins' at fighting heart disease, study finds
Scientists believe bergamot, a key ingredient in Earl Grey tea, can significantly lower cholesterol
earl-grey_2867417b.jpg

A cup of Earl Grey tea Photo: Alamy


By Alice Philipson

10:34PM BST 30 Mar 2014


Drinking Earl Grey tea could help guard against heart disease, it has emerged, after a study found that bergamot extract - a key ingredient in the hot drink - is just as effective as statins at controlling cholesterol.

Scientists believe bergamot, a fragrant Mediterranean citrus fruit which gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive flavour, can significantly lower cholesterol.

They say it contains enzymes known as HMGF (hydroxy methyl glutaryl flavonones) which can attack proteins in the body known to cause heart disease.

The study found bergamot could even be as effective as statins, used to control cholesterol but which can have side effects in patients.

Researchers from Italy's University of Calabria, writing for the Journal of Functional Foods, used concentrations of HMGF on the proteins which cause heart disease and 'bad' cholesterol.

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They then compared the effects with that of statins used to treat the same proteins and found the bergamot extract with HMGF worked just as well.

Not only did it reduce levels of LDL – so-called 'bad cholesterol' which leads to heart disease – but also increased HDL, which doctors call 'good cholesterol'.

Citrus foods have long been part of the famed 'Mediterranean diet' which has been hailed as one of the best ways to avoid heart disease – the biggest killer in the Western world.

The journal's report said: "High cholesterol is a common health concern for us all and often statins are given to help treat the condition.

"Extract from bergamot – most commonly used in Earl Grey tea – reduced total cholesterol, and LDL levels but there was an increase in HDL levels (good cholesterol).

"Therefore a daily supplement of bergamot fruit extract could be very effective for the treatment of high cholesterol."

Bergamot has long been used in traditional 'folk' medicines in the Mediterranean not only as a protection for the heart but also to treat wounds, inflammation and as an antiseptic.

The extracts have even been used in jams, ice cream and perfumes in the region, said the researchers.

A 2012 study by the University of Cantanzaro in Italy, found Bergamot could help you lose weight and protect against diabetes.

It also comes in tablet form as a food supplement and is known as BergaMet.

Given as a 1000mg tablet to be taken before meals it also reduced blood sugars by 22 per cent and raised 'good' cholesterol by 41 per cent.

BergaMet blocks the same enzyme responsible for cholesterol production as statins, but works at a different place on the enzyme, meaning it does not appear to have side effects in the muscles and the liver.

However, a new study has found that statins could have ohter medical benefits.

Researchers at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the US found the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs may offer added benefit for men with erectile dysfunction.

It is thought the statins may work to improve erectile function by helping blood vessels dilate properly and improving vascular blood flow to the penis, which is often restricted in men with erectile dysfunction.
 
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HI @Sabre welcome to the forum 🙂. Interesting reading, I`m sure other members will be along soon with an opinion, at the moment I have no opinion until I`ve researched a bit about your post.
 
I hate Earl Grey, good job I'm not T2 LOL

I'd just like to point out that it depends on what's causing impotence as to whether a blood vessel dilator on its own can help or not - if the nerves that control that function aren't working properly, it's doubtful. Hence if a chap gets diabetic (or any other sort) of neuropathy there, it won't.
 
I dislike tea and found Earl Grey to be foul when I had some , the smell alone makes me feel ill.
 
Must agree, I rank Earl Grey tea in the same league as Burgen linseed and soya bread but, if it creates the necessary result, anything is bearable!
 
I don't mind the smell of bergamot when it's appropriate eg in Bergasol suntan products. But not to ingest!
 
Surprisingly most are negative replys,I take it you like taking medication ? Give it ago and view your next results .
 
The bergamot fruit is an orange grown in Italy ,it is supposed to have the taste of a lemon,would it be a good idea to make a juice ?
 
Surprisingly most are negative replys,I take it you like taking medication ? Give it ago and view your next results .
I like taking medication that has been prescribed by my GP, who has decades of experience and training behind him. I trust his opinion, not the opinion of an untrained person that I don’t know. I apologise as this probably comes across as rude, but I simply can’t think how else to respond to such a question.
 
I hate Earl Grey, good job I'm not T2 LOL

I'd just like to point out that it depends on what's causing impotence as to whether a blood vessel dilator on its own can help or not - if the nerves that control that function aren't working properly, it's doubtful. Hence if a chap gets diabetic (or any other sort) of neuropathy there, it won't.[/QUOTE
I like taking medication that has been prescribed by my GP, who has decades of experience and training behind him. I trust his opinion, not the opinion of an untrained person that I don’t know. I apologise as this probably comes across as rude, but I simply can’t think how else to respond to such a question.
i was taking meds by my GP, they give you a balance med on your results! I was on 4 met and 4 glictazide a day 2 years ago,every blood test that came back after been on the tea results of my glucose being slashed and cholesterol low,so my GP started reducing my intake of these medication, so the last 9 months I've not been on any of the above meds !
I had a phone call last week from my diabetic nurse ,asking what I was doing ,has the last results took me off the radar of diabetes ,egnore at your will,your not rude ,but ?
 
Thing is, you’re attributing it to the tea, but it could just as easily be another aspect of your diet, or the correct combination of medication, even weight loss. Without a properly conducted trial it’s impossible to say, and bergamot is not without side effects - the potassium alone would worry me, and it affects other medications.

It’s simply not something I’d personally be happy to try.
 
Surprisingly most are negative replys,I take it you like taking medication ? Give it ago and view your next results .

Not wishing to sound argumentative but I am more of a coffee drinker and I am not fond of tea, unless it’s Earl Grey. No milk, with one sweetener......... very nice. If it’s beneficial for cholesterol, I’ll drink a bit more of it. 🙂
 
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