Hardly a week goes by without news of yet another research study confirming the health benefits of tea. Here's a summary of the some of those findings.
AGING
Major Study Links Green Tea With Less Disability Among Elderly
A major Japanese study has found that senior citizens who regularly consume green tea are more agile and active than non-tea drinkers. Almost 14,000 individuals aged 65 and over took part in the three-year experiment. Scientists focused on whether green tea drinkers have a lower risk of frailty and disability as they grow older. They found that those who consume at least five cups of green tea per day were one-third less likely to develop 'functional disability', or problems with daily activities, such as dressing or bathing. Even after adjusting for confounding factors such as diet and lifestyle habits, the link was deemed significant. Although reasons behind the findings remain unclear, researchers point to a study that suggests that green tea extracts seem to boost leg muscle strength in older women.
Reuters, Feb 2012
Sip A Cup Of Green Tea To Minimize Allergies
'Tea, especially green tea, with or without caffeine, is very good for people with allergies,' says Murray Grossan, MD, an ear, nose, and throat doctor in Los Angeles. Tea contains natural antihistamines, he says, which makes it a great addition to your diet to reduce allergy symptoms. Histamine is a chemical that your body releases during allergic reactions. Grossan especially recommends a morning cup of hot tea just when you get up to help prevent morning sneezing.
Everyday Health, 2013
Green Tea Can Help Reduce Inflammation And Arthritis Pain
Loaded with antioxidants, green tea helps boost metabolism and lower risk for certain diseases. Green tea may even help reduce inflammation and arthritis pain because of its active ingredient, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a powerful catechin that works to stop production of certain inflammatory chemicals in the body
Everyday Health 2015
Prolonged Tea Consumption May Reduce Risk Of Ovarian Cancer
Women who start drinking tea at a younger age have been found to benefit from a lower risk of ovarian cancer later on in life. A study surveyed tea-drinking habits of 1000 women with an average age of 59 over a period of two years. Data included daily consumption, tea type and when they first started. Results showed that women without cancer were more likely to be tea drinkers from an earlier age and, on average, consumed more cups a day than those diagnosed with the illness. Authors of the study suspect that flavonoids may be responsible for these effects and encourage the consumption of tea because of the potential benefit in preventing this common and deadly disease.
The Telegraph, Nov 2012
Green Tea Extract Boosts Your Brain Power, Especially The Working Memory
In a new study, the researcher teams of Prof. Christoph Beglinger from the University Hospital of Basel and Prof. Stefan Borgwardt from the Psychiatric University Clinics found that green tea extract increases the brain's effective connectivity, meaning the causal influence that one brain area exerts over another. This effect on connectivity also led to improvement in actual cognitive performance: Subjects tested significantly better for working memory tasks after the admission of green tea extract. For the study healthy male volunteers received a soft drink containing several grams of green tea extract before they solved working memory tasks. The scientists then analyzed how this affected the brain activity of the men using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MRI showed increased connectivity between the parietal and the frontal cortex of the brain. These neuronal findings correlated positively with improvement in task performance of the participants. 'Our findings suggest that green tea might increase the short-term synaptic plasticity of the brain,' says Borgwardt.
Science Daily, 2014
Tea Can Boost Exercise Endurance Scientists have found that the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract increase the body's ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved muscle endurance. TIME September 4, 2012
Risk Of Heart Disease Lowered By Black Tea
A recent study found that regular tea consumption is associated with a reduction of several risk factors that may lead to heart disease. First, it was discovered that three daily cups of tea over a period of 12 weeks lead to a significant reduction in blood sugar levels and triglycerides, which are unhealthy fats. Triglyceride levels fell by 39 percent in male participants and 29 percent in females. Furthermore, drinking tea increases the levels of HDL cholesterol, also known as the 'good' type. Finally, the study suggests that tea increases the amount of antioxidants present in the blood stream, which can protect blood vessels and tissue against oxidative stress and inflammation. The tea that was tested contained no sugar or milk, as the latter may reduce the availability of polyphenols.
Fox News, Jun 2012
Research Suggests That Green Tea, Exercise Boost Weight Loss, Health
Mice on a high-fat diet that consumed decaffeinated green tea extract and exercised regularly experienced sharp reductions in final body weight and significant improvements in health, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, who suggest that similar results could be realized by people. After 16 weeks, high-fat-fed mice that exercised regularly and ingested green tea extract showed an average body mass reduction of 27.1 percent and an average abdominal fat mass reduction of 36.6 percent. The mice on the green-tea-extract-and-exercise regimen also experienced a 17 percent reduction in fasting blood glucose level, a 65 percent decrease in plasma insulin level and reduction in insulin resistance of 65 percent -- all substantial improvements related to diabetic health.
Penn State University, 2014
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