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Green Tea Benefits for the Elderly

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:26:18 -0500

Green tea has known health benefits for people of all ages. High in anti-oxidants, low amount of caffeine, and possessing a chemical known as "catechin polyphenols", the tea has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, control headaches, assist in maintaining energy level, weight control, and even help with depression. A recent study of elderly Japanese that compared their symptoms of depression with green tea consumption showed that those individuals that consumed more green tea (over 3 cups a day) tended to have less depression. The physical, mental and social changes brought about by aging are significant, to say the least. Seniors living at home, or providers caring for them may consider healthy, natural green tea as a possible remedy to changes in well being, physical, mental or emotional. As a side note, one seniorDECISION partner regularly imbibes green tea for his own benefits and has been encouraging his mother to do so as well! Sources: 1. Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2. Green tea consumption is associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 3. Courtesy seniorDECISION senior health article.

Chai Tea, Spice of Life

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The spices in Chai Tea have been used to promote health for thousands of years. Also there is a growing body of evidence showing that the tea in chai has numerous health benefits. Tea polyphenols have been linked in research to increased attention and focus (Theanine), cardiovascular health, protection against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and even may have the potential to alter cancer genetics.

Chai is also available made with green tea instead of black, as well as Rooibos, or red tea. Green tea has slightly less caffeine, and large amounts of EGCg, a powerful anti-oxidant. It was first assumed that green tea had higher health benefits, but new research is finding that the theaflavins and thearubigens of black tea actually carry similar health benefits. Rooibos is a caffeine-free variety of tea sought for its additional health benefits. It is widely believed that it is the synergistic combination of tea and spices that make chai such a beneficial and healthy drink.

From ABC Article Directory

Green Tea Disclosed

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Green tea is the least processed and thus provides the most antioxidant polyphenols, notably a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is believed to be responsible for most of the health benefits linked to green tea. Green tea is made by briefly steaming the just harvested leaves, rendering them soft and pliable and preventing them from fermenting or changing color. After steaming, the leaves are rolled, then spread out and "fired" (dried with hot air or pan-fried in a wok) until they are crisp. The resulting greenish-yellow tea has a green, slightly astringent flavor close to the taste of the fresh leaf.

From WHFoods

Rooibos vs. Free Radicals: The 'Boss

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 00:00:00 -0500

Rooibos (pronounced ROY-boss) appears to rival the health benefits of green, red and black tea. A favorite among South Africans for years, the tea is made from Aspalathus Linearis, an indigenous shrub that grows only in the mountainous region close to the Cape of Good Hope.

The beverage is said to have 50% more antioxidants than are found in green tea and new research is showing rooibos helps delay the aging process! The aging of our bodies is caused by toxic compounds called free radicals which are produced as a by-product of normal cell function. These free radicals attack our healthy cells. Over our lifetime this damage contributes to aging and our immune system weakens. Recently, Japanese scientists have found that Rooibos tea contains a mimic of the enzyme Super Oxide Dismutase (S.O.D.), an antioxidant which attacks the free radicals and limits their damaging effects.

Rooibos tea contains no colors, additives or preservatives. It helps to relieve insomnia, irritability, headaches, stomach ulcers, nausea, constipation, and heartburn. It also shows anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activity.

From organicjar.com

Is Oolong Tea Healthy?

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 00:00:00 -0500

In China, Oolong or Wulong tea has long been believed to be beneficial in reducing and maintaining weight, but a study in 1998 confirmed that continous consumption of Oolong tea really does result in body weight reduction. More studies were conducted later on and found that Oolong makes body burn its own fat for energy. The weight reducing benefits of Oolong tea may also be a result of a fact that Oolong tea has absorption blocking potential.

Oolong tea is known to have numerous health benefits. It is not only renowned for its taste but also for its ability to boost our overall health. But for people who like to keep in shape, one of the most positive effects of Oolong is the effect it has on the waist line. It can provide excellent support to a weight loss program, especially those involving cutting out carbohydrates from the diet.

While naturally prepared Oolong tea is practically free of calories and contains just fractional grams of carbohydrates per serving, studies suggest that regular consumption of Oolong tea will speed up your metabolism so that you will burn about 80 plus more calories per day than you otherwise would. Oolong tea can also help you lower your triglyceride levels and even stave off the onset of type II diabetes.

From Oolong Tea Health Benefits

Reasons to Drink Green Tea

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:32:40 -0500

Green tea has increasingly become a very popular drink worldwide because of its immensely powerful health benefits. It is extraordinarily amazing what green tea can do for your health.

Green Tea and Cancer: Green tea helps reduce the risk of cancer. The antioxidant in green tea is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E. This helps your body at protecting cells from damage believed to be linked to cancer.

Green Tea and Heart Disease: Green tea helps prevent heart disease and stroke by lowering the level of cholesterol. Even after the heart attack, it prevents cell deaths and speeds up the recovery of heart cells.

Green Tea and Anti-Aging: Green tea contains antioxidant known as polyphenols which fight against free radicals. What this means it helps you fight against aging and promotes longevity.

Green Tea and Weight Loss: Green tea helps with your body weight loss. Green tea burns fat and boosts your metabolism rate naturally. It can help you burn up to 70 calories in just one day. That translates to 7 pounds in one year.

Green Tea and Skin: Antioxidant in green tea protects the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals, which cause wrinkling and skin aging. Green tea also helps fight against skin cancer.

Green Tea and Arthritis: Green tea can help prevent and reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Green tea has benefit for your health as it protects the cartilage by blocking the enzyme that destroys cartilage.

Green Tea and Bones: The very key to this is high fluoride content found in green tea. It helps keep your bones strong. If you drink green tea every day, this will help you preserve your bone density.

Green Tea and Cholesterol: Green tea can help lower cholesterol level. It also improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, by reducing bad cholesterol level.

Green Tea and Obesity: Green tea prevents obesity by stopping the movement of glucose in fat cells. If you are on a healthy diet, exercise regularly and drink green tea, it is unlikely you'll be obese.

Green Tea and Diabetes: Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances your metabolism rate.

Green Tea and Alzheimer's: Green tea helps boost your memory. And although there's no cure for Alzheimer's, it helps slow the process of reduced acetylcholine in the brain, which leads to Alzheimer's.

Green Tea and Parkinson's: Antioxidants in green tea helps prevent against cell damage in the brain, which could cause Parkinson's. People drinking green tea also are less likely to progress with Parkinson's.

Green Tea and Liver Disease: Green tea helps prevent transplant failure in people with liver failure. Researchers showed that green tea destroys harmful free radicals in fatty livers.

Green Tea and High Blood Pressure: Green tea helps prevent high blood pressure. Drinking green tea helps keep your blood pressure down by repressing angiotensin, which leads to high blood pressure.

Green Tea and Food Poisoning: Catechin found in green tea can kill bacteria which causes food poisoning and kills the toxins produced by those bacteria.

Green Tea and Blood Sugar: Blood sugar tends to increase with age, but polyphenols and polysaccharides in green tea help lower your blood sugar level.

Green Tea and Immunity: Polyphenols and flavenoids found in green tea help boost your immune system, making your health stronger in fighting against infections.

Green Tea and Cold and Flu: Green tea prevents you from getting a cold or flu. Vitamin C in green tea helps you treat the flu and the common cold.

Green Tea and Asthma: Theophylline in green tea relaxes the muscles which support the bronchial tubes, reducing the severity of asthma.

Green Tea and Ear Infection: Green tea helps with ear infection problem. For natural ear cleaning, soak a cotton ball in green tea and clean the infected ear.

Green Tea and Tooth Decay: Green tea destroys bacteria and viruses that cause many dental diseases. It also slows the growth of bacteria which leads to bad breath.

Green Tea and Stress: L-theanine, which is a kind of amino acids in green tea, can help relieve stress and anxiety.

Green Tea and Allergies: EGCG found in green tea relieves allergies. So, if you have allergies, you should really consider drinking green tea.

Green Tea and HIV: Scientists in Japan have found that EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) in green tea cab stop HIV from binding to healthy immune cells. What this means is that green tea can help stop the HIV virus from spreading.

Source: http://www.hyd-masti.com (Licensed under CreativeCommons)

Health Effects of Tea

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:03:22 -0500

The health effects of tea have been examined ever since the first infusions of Camellia sinensis about 4700 years ago in China. The vast majority of studies have been of green tea; however, some studies have been made of the other types of tea derived from Camellia sinensis, such as white, oolong, and black tea. Green tea has been claimed to be helpful for atherosclerosis, LDL cholesterol, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, liver disease, weight loss, neurodegenerative diseases, and even halitosis.

Anti-cancer properties An article in New Scientist magazine mentions that numerous studies suggest that green tea protects against a range of cancers, including lung, prostate and breast cancer. The reason cited is the antioxidant EGCG, according to Hirofumi Tachibana's team at Kyushu University. Their research showed that growth of human lung cancer cells with a cell receptor called 67 LR is slowed significantly after drinking just two or three cups of green tea, which contains EGCG. The research also showed that 67 LR is involved in the propagation of prion diseases such as human Creutzfeldt-Jakob (related to mad cow disease in animals). This is not direct evidence of tea's effect on prion diseases, but a hint that EGCG's effect on 67 LR is an interesting lead in the search for treatments. White tea has been claimed to be even more effective, based upon preliminary work by Santana-Rios et al. Another study from the Life Science journal Carcinogenesis demonstrated that green tea, in combination with tamoxifen, is effective in suppressing breast cancer growth in vitro human breast cancer tumors and in vivo animal experiments in mice. Increases metabolic rate Clinical trials conducted by the University of Geneva and the University of Birmingham indicate that green tea raises metabolic rates, speeds up fat oxidation and improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. In addition to caffeine, green tea contains catechin polyphenols that raise thermogenesis (the rate at which calories are burned), and hence increases energy expenditure.

Possible anti-diabetes effect There is also epidemiological evidence that drinking green tea and black tea may help prevent diabetes, although it is worth noting that this is evidence of an association, and that future studies are needed to confirm the effect.

Boosts mental alertness The amino acid L-theanine, found almost exclusively in the tea plant, actively alters the attention networks of the brain, according to results of human trials announced in September 2007. It has been proposed that theanine is absorbed by the small intestine and crosses the blood-brain barrier, where it affects the brain's neurotransmitters and increases alpha brain-wave activity. The result is a calmer, yet more alert, state of mind.

Boosts immune system On April 21, 2003 the Brigham and Women's Hospital released details of a research project which indicated that theanine may help the body's immune system response when fighting infection, by boosting the disease-fighting capacity of gamma delta T cells. The study included a four-week trial with 11 coffee drinkers and 10 tea drinkers, who consumed 600ml of coffee or black tea daily. Blood sample analysis found that the production of anti-bacterial proteins was up to five times higher in the tea-drinkers, an indicator of a stronger immune response.

Lowers chances of cognitive impairment A 2006 study showed that elderly Japanese people who consumed more than 2 cups of green tea a day had a 50 percent lower chance of having cognitive impairment, in comparison to those who drank fewer than 2 cups a day, or who consumed other tested beverages. This is probably due to the effect of EGCG, which passes through the blood-brain barrier.

Lowers stress hormone levels According to a study by UCL researchers, drinking black tea lowers stress hormone levels. Just 50 minutes after a high stress event, tea drinkers, who had been drinking 4 cups of black tea daily for a month, had a 20% greater drop in cortisol than the placebo group. Blood platelet activation, which is linked to blood clotting and the risk of heart attacks was also lower for tea drinkers.

Effects on HIV A recent study appearing in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology was the subject of an article on BBC News. It stated that EGCG found in green tea can lead to the inhibition of HIV virus binding and may be used as a complementary therapy for HIV patients, but qualified it by noting that "It is not a cure, and nor is it a safe way to avoid infection, however, we suggest that it should be used in combination with conventional medicines to improve quality of life for those infected." It was an in vitro (test tube) study, not an in vivo study, which only tested effects of a chemical in green tea. "Many substances shown to prevent HIV infection in the test tube turn out to have little or no effect in real life, so I think there's a long way to go before anyone should rely on green tea to protect against HIV infection.”

Effects on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) The polyphenols in green tea have been shown to reduce intestinal inflammation in mouse models of IBD. This effect seems to be related to tea’s ability to interrupt the cascade of inflammatory reactions that are the cause of IBD.

Effects on bad breath Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago stated that polyphenols help inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath.

Iron overload disorders Researchers in Germany have found that a daily cup of black tea can help stop excess iron damaging the bodies of people who suffer from hemochromatosis due to its high content of flavonoids (commonly mistaken for tannins), which limit iron absorption.

Source: Wikipedia (Licensed under CreativeCommons)