And if you're one of them, you might be wise to make drinking a cup of rooibos tea a regular habit. Channel 4's Food Unwrapped has revealed how the South African staple contains a unique compound that's been proven to reduce the level of fat accumulated in cells. The rooibos - or 'red bush ' - plant used to make the tea contains aspalathin, which has also been shown to lower glucose levels over time - albeit if you're drinking six cups a day.
Rooibos tea has grown in popularity as it contains healthy antioxidants, it's now thought it could help with diets. Tests carried out on rodents by the South African Medical Research Council using a concentration of aspalathin showed a significant reduction in the amount of fat stored over time.
A limited study has also shown people who drank six cups of rooibos tea every day for six weeks had significantly lower glucose levels by the end of the trial. High blood glucose levels can lead to significant health problems, including kidney disease, heart disease and strokes. Aspalathin, which is an antioxidant, and its reputation as a 'magic ingredient' among weight watchers, inspired a trip to South Africa for Food Unwrapped's Summer Diet Special, which saw presenter Kiran Jethwa travel to the Cederberg Mountains to see where the tea is grown.
The hardy plant thrives in the tough, arid conditions of the Cederberg Mountains, growing in sandy soil and surviving extreme variations in temperature. The hardy plant thrives in the difficult arid conditions of the mountains, growing in the sandy soil and surviving the extreme temperature variations. It's produced on a crop of land the size of Yorkshire, which produces the global supply of rooibos.
Rooibos , which isn't actually a tea, but rather part of the legume family, is hand-picked, and the green needle-like leaves are then machine-cut before being laid out to dry in the South African sun.
