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The effect of teas on malabsorption of carbohydrates

223 James P Brawley Drive, SW
Atlanta, GA 30314
E-mail: gbolden{at}cau.edu

Dear Sir:

I read with great interest the article "An Extract of Black, Green, and Mulberry Teas Causes Malabsorption of Carbohydrate but not of Triacylglycerol in Healthy Volunteers" by Zhong et al (1) in the September 2006 issue of the Journal. Zhong et al provide an excellent introduction to the health benefits of tea extracts. Through the use of an excellent protocol design, black, green, and mulberry tea extracts were tested with special emphasis on their interference with carbohydrate and triacylglycerol absorption via their ability to induce the malabsorption of carbohydrate or fat.

The authors pointed out that no studies in humans or animals have shown that tea preparations cause the malabsorption of carbohydrates or fat. The Asian belief that drinking tea promotes good health and longevity is gaining scientific merit (2). Dullo et al (3) reported that the consumption of green tea extract elevates both the metabolic rate and the rate of fat oxidation in humans.

One or 2 additional points can be made on this topic. First, the racial composition of the study participants was not given. Would the outcomes have been influenced if the study participants were African American or Latino, given the higher prevalence of diabetes and obesity in these groups (4; E Caballero, M Heisler, NL Agbayani, unpublished observation, 2006)? In addition, can this study be replicated by using a different protocol design and a larger study group?

The ability of a tea extract to inhibit carbohydrate absorption will continue to be an important issue in the management of weight control and in the treatment of diabetes. The study also indicated that carbohydrate malabsorption induced by tea extracts could influence blood glucose concentrations. Future studies are needed to include African American and Latino populations. If such studies have promising results, this approach could positively affect the challenging health disparities of various populations.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author had no conflict of interest to declare.

REFERENCES

1. Zhong L, Furne JK, Levitt MD. An extract of black, green, and mulberry teas causes malabsorption of carbohydrate but not of triacylglycerol in healthy volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:551–5.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Yang CS, Landau JM. Effects of tea consumption on nutrition and health. J Nutr 2000;130:2409–12.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
3. Dullo AG, Duret C, Rohrer D, et al. Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:1040–5.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
4. Caballero AE. Diabetes in minority populations. In: Joslin's diabetes mellitus. 14th ed. New York, NY: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005:505–24.

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