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(NaturalNews) The importance of regulating blood sugar is clear: stabilizing blood sugar can prevent many health problems, one of the most obvious being diabetes, which is often a result of years of unstable blood sugar. Fortunately, for most of us it is within our power to take control of our blood sugar levels by remaining active and making the right food choicesâ€"and also by drinking chamomile tea.

Chamomile tea has long been prized for its ability to calm and relax, making it a favored tea for bedtime, but now a recent study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows chamomile may serve another purpose: regulating blood sugar.

At the University of Toyama in Japan and at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research in the United Kingdom, researchers studied the effect of chamomile tea on diabetic rats. Half of the rats were given a dose of chamomile extract for three weeks. Another set of diabetic rats was given a normal diet with no addition of chamomile.

The study observed that when chamomile was given to the rats, a lesser amount of glucose was turned into sorbitol (a sugar alcohol). Excess sorbitol can cause damage to kidneys, eyes and nerve cells. The enzymes primarily responsible for this kind of damage in diabetics were also inhibited in the chamomile rats. The rats who were fed chamomile extract also showed an overall decrease in blood glucose compared to the other rats.

The authors of the study stated there is a clear link between the daily consumption of chamomile tea and preventing the progression of diabetes and hyperglycemia. As usual there are those who say more research needs to be done to determine just how effective this treatment can be, but to anyone searching for a natural way of regulating blood sugar, the results of this study are more than enough encouragement to start drinking chamomile tea.

Chamomile tea's benefits aren't only for those with diabetes. For diabetics, stabilizing blood sugar is crucial for good health, but the truth is even people without diabetes can benefit from maintaining normal blood sugar levels. Blood sugar swings are associated with fatigue, sugar cravings and insulin resistance, among other symptoms. Taking measures to regulate blood sugar can actually prevent the onset of diabetes in healthy individuals, and it will also help you feel more energetic and maintain a healthy weight.

Of course, if you're considering drinking chamomile tea solely to regulate your blood sugar, keep in mind it's a healthy addition to an overall lifestyle that naturallly contributes to healthy blood sugar. Other steps which should be included in this lifestyle are regular exercise, eating balanced meals, avoiding refined foods and getting plenty of sleep.

Daniells, Steven. (2008) Chamomile tea may prevent diabetes complications: study. NutraIngredients.

Wilbert, Caroline. (2008) Prevent Diabetic Ills With Chamomile Tea? WebMD Health News.

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