On this year's World Diabetes Day, a new study has found that populations which drink high quantities of black tea have a significantly lower prevalence of diabetes. The study published in the British Medical Journal Open discovered a linear correlation between the quantity of black tea consumed and the incidence of diabetes across 42 nations worldwide.

Scientists from Data Mining International, Geneva, in partnership with Unilever also found that on average, a population which consumes double the amount of black tea has about one quarter less cases of diabetes.

In the research, Data Mining International assessed the black tea consumption rates of the countries and analysed them against each country's rates of respiratory, infectious and cardiovascular disease, as well as cancer and diabetes. The data was sourced from Euromonitor's World Tea Consumption Survey and the World Health Survey, conducted by the World Health Organisation.

Chief Executive Officer, Data Mining International, Dr Ariel Beresniak said it's the first time a robust statistical relationship has been established between black tea consumption and diabetes prevalence in the world. "While we cannot confirm a cause-effect relationship between tea drinking and diabetes, our findings are consistent biological, physiological, epidemiological and clinical studies suggesting that black tea components have a positive effect on glucose metabolism."

Co-Author of the study and Chief Research & Development Officer, Unilever, Professor Genevieve Berger said the research adds to a growing body of evidence which points to black tea's health-giving properties.