Can mulberry tea help you lose weight? Considered a superfood, the tea appears to provide a number of health benefits that may help you look and feel better.
Made from the leaves of white mulberry trees, mulberry tea is hailed as a superfood by many health and nutrition experts like Dr. Oz. In addition to containing a number of vital nutrients and antioxidants, the tea is believed to inhibit the body’s absorption of carbohydrates. This feature extends the mulberry leaf uses to possibly being an aid to help stabilize blood sugar levels in diabetics. Fresh Mulberries in their own right are one of our favorite superfoods.
In healthy people, keeping blood sugar levels steady may diminish feelings of hunger and naturally lead to reduced food consumption. In short, if you’re trying to lose weight, drinking a few cups of mulberry leaf tea every day could guide you to your goal weight.
1. Diabetes Prevention and Management
Researchers have taken an interest in mulberry tea because the leaves used to make the tea contain a substance called 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ). A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported on the effect the tea had on the absorption of carbohydrates and triacylglycerol in healthy people. The participants were fed a variety of high-carbohydrate or high-lipid meals as well as randomly given beverages containing black, green, or mulberry leaf teas.
While mulberry leaf tea had no effect on triacylglycerol, it did prevent the absorption of 25 percent of the carbohydrates consumed. It is believed that mulberry tea leaves could assist in the prevention of type 2 diabetes in healthy individuals as well as help people with type 2 diabetes keep their blood sugar levels under control. Since feelings of hunger are tied to blood sugar levels, keeping them steady can prevent overeating or even naturally reduce food consumption.
2. Lowers Risk of Heart Disease and Cancer
White mulberry tea benefits are plentiful, and it’s loaded with vitamins and antioxidants that have been found to benefit health. Antioxidants reduce damage done to cells by oxidation reactions occurring in the body. Consumption of antioxidants has been linked to reduced risk of cardiac events and some cancers. Antioxidants are also used in some medications to treat brain injuries and being studied as a possible treatment for some neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
3. Chock Full of Vitamins and Minerals
The following vitamins are also part of the leaves’ mulberry nutrition profile.
- Vitamin A: Promotes good vision and healthy skin, for more try carrots
- Vitamin B1 & B2: Involved in metabolism and nerve function
- Vitamin C: For a healthy immune system and skin, for even healthier skin try coconut oil
- Bioflavonoids: Supports a healthy heart
- Amino acids: Assists in the use of proteins and nutrients
- Calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus: Builds healthy bones, for more minerals try brazil nuts
- Iron: Promotes healthy blood, for more iron try arugula
- Zinc: Needed for good reproductive health immune health
For more nutritious superfoods checkout our 50 Best Superfoods of 2015
4. Great Weight Loss Tool
If you’re mostly interested in mulberry tea weight loss benefits, then there are several things you can do to maximize your results. Some nutrition experts recommend drinking the tea at least thirty minutes before each meal to give the DNJ a chance to block incoming carbohydrates. For those who currently drink soda or other carbonated beverages, you may be able to boost the amount of weight you lose by exchanging those beverages for mulberry tea instead.
Consuming two cans of regular soda per day can lead to a weight gain of up to thirty-five pounds in a year. By making this simple switch, you can drop pounds as well as gain the advantages of increased water intake and the mulberry nutrition benefits.
5. Its a Fantastic Beverage!
Mulberry tea can be consumed hot or cold. The tea can be purchased either prepackaged or as loose leaves. When brewing the tea, it’s important to steep it for an appropriate length of time to extract as much of the mulberry tea benefits as possible. If you’re using tea bags, steep the tea for at least three to five minutes. Loose tea should be steeped for at least eight minutes.
To maximize the carbohydrate-blocking effects, avoid sweetening the tea. If you like sweet tea and wondering how to make mulberry tea more palatable, you can try adding lemon slices to give it a little bit of a kick. Be certain to store the tea in a cool, dry place to prevent spoilage.
Possible Side Effects
Although the tea is made from natural ingredients, it is possible that you may experience a few mulberry tea side effects after consuming this beverage.
- Because of its impact on carbohydrate consumption, you may experience a hypoglycaemic episode, or low blood sugar. If you are a diabetic or are taking any medications to regulate your blood sugar, it is important that you consult with your doctor before drinking this tea.
- The high potassium levels in mulberry tea make this beverage dangerous for anyone who suffers from kidney disorders or who takes any potassium-based medications.
- You may be allergic to mulberry leaf tea and not know it. If you begin exhibiting the signs of an allergic reaction wheezing, hives, rapid pulse, or similar symptoms stop drinking the tea and seek medical attention right away.
I’m a diabetic. Because of steroids used during chemo I have about 40% kidney function loss. Would using white mulberry tea hurt my kidneys?
Great article! Coastal Tea Company has an all natural, high quality Mulberry leaf tea that’s well balanced and cured properly to avoid an overly bitter taste. If you’re interested in trying some we’d be happy to send a small sample. https://www.coastalteaco.com/shop/white-mulberry-leaf/