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Green Tea for the
Brain February 1, 2008 -- A chemical in green tea may bring dying brain cells back to life, say Israeli investigators. They showed that EGCG, green tea's main antioxidant, revived animal neurons resembling those killed by Parkinson's disease. Adding small amounts of EGCG to dying brain cells made them bounce back; they became healthier and grew new dendrites (nerve appendages that carry messages from cell to cell). ~By Jean Carper USA WEEKEND |
| Put the Kettle on
& Ponder this News December 4, 2007 -- Recent reports say not only can tea help strengthen older women's hips, it also can help calm you and boost your alertness for several hours. The five-year study on bones, done at an Australian university, found that women who drank about three cups of tea a day had a higher bone density than those who did not imbibe. The researchers speculate that components such as antioxidant flavonoids may stimulate cells to build new bone. As for tea's affect on mood, researchers at the City College of City University of New York say that theanine, an amino acid present in black, green and oolong teas, helped test subjects feel calm and increased their ability to concentrate for three to four hours. ~In the Mix, FOODday The Oregonian |
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| Green Tea, White
Tea Fight Colon Cancer - Drink 3 Cups a Day for Cancer-Prevention
Benefits of Green Tea March 11, 2003 -- Perhaps you've never heard of white tea. But there's evidence pointing to the health benefits of green tea and white tea. They may help prevent colon cancer. Antioxidants and polyphenols -- cancer prevention compounds -- are found in highest levels in white tea, which is the least processed of all teas, writes lead author Gayle. A. Orner, PhD, a researcher with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. White tea is relatively rare and is found in specialty tea shops, over the Internet, and in some grocery stores. Green tea, which undergoes some processing, has higher polyphenol levels than black tea, which gets the most processing, Orner says. Her study of teas' protective effects against colon cancer appears in the February issue of Carcinogenesis. In a study involving mice, Orner and colleagues tested the benefits of green tea, white tea and a drug called sulindac, which is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) that, like high-dose aspirin, has been shown to prevent progression of colon cancer and decrease the death rate. Orner's study used mice that were genetically predisposed to develop tumors in their intestines. After 12 weeks of treatment, mice that were given white tea, green tea, or low-dose sulindac had significantly fewer tumors than mice that received no treatment. Mice that received no treatment developed about 30 tumors. Those that consumed green tea had an average of 17 tumors. Mice given white tea had 13 tumors. Mice given both sulindac and white tea had 80% fewer tumors -- an average of six. It's evidence that tea's effects on metabolism can potentially block some cancer-causing effects, she explains. In fact, the concentrations of tea the mice got were comparable to those consumed by humans, she says. "Therefore, this widely consumed beverage may be useful in the prevention of intestinal cancer in genetically predisposed individuals," she writes. "These are pretty exciting results," Orner says in a news release. "What's especially significant is that as far as we can tell, consumption of tea has none of the side-effects of NSAIDs, which can be severe, including bleeding, ulcers, and even death." The use of NSAIDS for cancer prevention, heart disease, and other concerns is increasingly common with many people, and high aspirin intake has been associated with a 40% to 50% decrease in death from colon cancer, she notes in her paper. To get the same colon cancer-prevention benefits of green tea or white tea, drink about three mugs of tea daily, she says. This is based on studies in Japan with green tea and gastric cancer, where researchers essentially concluded "the more, the better." ~By Jeanie Lerche Davis Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD WebMD Medical News |
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Tea - Your Skin May Thank You For It Later April 5, 2001 At the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, U.S. researchers reported that caffeine applied directly to the skin reversed sun-induced damage in mice. In previous studies, Conney and colleagues determined that green and black tea prevented sun-induced skin cancer when given orally to mice. Specifically, they found that caffeine increases skin cell death, suggesting injured skin cells die before cancer has a chance to develop in them. Conney's team also found that oral caffeine increases levels of a special gene that is involved in suppressing tumor growth. ~ Alison Palkhivala; WebMD Medical |
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| Oolong Tea Helps
Skin January 19, 2001 In a study conducted in Japan, 121 patients with a skin condition called atopic dermatitis, received tea treatments. The cases ranged from mild to severe, and patients had been receiving standard treatment with topical creams or oral antihistamines for at least six months. Patients continued with their prescribed treatments, but also drank oolong tea three times a day for six months after their regular meals. After just one month, 63% of the patients showed marked to moderate improvement - some just one to two weeks after they began their tea treatment. After a six-month period, 54% of the patients were still noticing an improvement in their skin conditions. None of the patients experienced any side effects. Researchers believe that an anti-allergic property in the tea has a therapeutic effect on the skin condition and that some patients may definitely benefit from drinking oolong tea, particularly those with difficult cases of atopic dermatitis. ~ Archives of Dermatology |
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| Research Shows Tea
May Protect Against Pancreatic And Prostate Cancer The results of recent preliminary research published in Nutrition and Cancer indicate that tea may protect against the development of pancreatic and prostate cancer. Researchers from the National Center for Toxicological Research, USA, extracted theaflavins and polyphenols – substances found in tea, and demonstrated that they significantly inhibited the growth of human pancreatic and prostate tumor cells. Their research also indicated that tea could have a role to play in changing the genes involved in the process of causing cancer. “This study provides further evidence concerning the anti-cancer properties of tea consumption. These new results are very preliminary, but if confirmed in other studies, they could provide an important new insight into the prevention of pancreatic and prostate cancer,” Professor David Forman, Center for Cancer Research, University of Leeds. In previous studies, tea has also been shown to help protect against lung, colon, digestive and breast cancers and there is significant evidence that tea can reduce the risk of a heart attack in people who drink one or more cups a day compared to those who drink no tea. The benefits of drinking tea may be attributed to the high concentration of antioxidants, which help the body fight harmful free radicals. Free radicals are a form of oxygen that can damage our bodies, including our cells. If not neutralized into ‘good oxygen,’ free radicals can advance aging, work against the immune system and play a major role in the development of chronic and degenerative diseases. ~TEA & HEALTH WEBSITE |
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| A tea that boosts your metabolism People drinking five cups of oolong tea each day burned an average of 87 additional calories, according to a new U.S. Department of Agriculture study. Researchers found that oolong tea increased calorie burning, not only while people were drinking it but also throughout the rest of the day. ~SELF MAGAZINE, October 2000 | |
| Tea Strengthens Bones - Because the caffeine in coffee appears to deplete calcium, weakening bones in old age, researchers thought the same might be true for tea. Wrong. New British research shows that female tea drinkers had much stronger bones than non-tea drinkers. Indeed, tea drinkers had 5% more bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, indicating a 10% to 20% lower fracture risk. Researchers speculate that isoflavonoid chemicals in tea may have a weak estrogenic effect, reducing bone deterioration and osteoporosis risk. ~USA WEEKEND Aug. 18-20, 2000; Jean Carper | |
| Green, black, and red: the tea-total evidence - Green tea is a likely choice these days for people looking for health benefits from their beverages. But new research indicates that all tea is good for you, as long as it comes from the leaf of Camellia sinensis-as do all green, black, and red teas (oolong). ... The polyphenols in tea seem to operate in a variety of ways: for example, halting the damage that free radicals do to cells, neutralizing enzymes essential for tumor growth, and deactivating cancer promoters. ... One study of 35,000 postmenopausal women found that consuming at least two cups of tea daily cut the risk of digestive and urinary tract cancers.~Wellness Letter; Univ. of CA, Berkeley; March 2000 | |
| December 31,1999 --
Green Tea Extract May Aid Weight Loss The antioxidants in green tea may also assist dieters in losing weight, according to a recent study. Dr. Abdul Dulloo, of the University of Geneva in Switzerland, and colleagues assessed the 24-hour energy expenditure of 10 healthy men receiving three doses of caffeine (50 mg), green tea extract (containing 50 mg caffeine and 90 mg epigallocatechin), or a 'dummy' placebo each day. The researchers reported that, compared with placebo, treatment with green tea was correlated with a ``significant increase'' (+4%) in daily caloric expenditure. This effect was not associated with caffeine found in tea, as subjects obtaining caffeine amounts similar to those found in green tea exhibited no change in daily caloric output. The researchers indicated that, while the mechanism of action remains unclear, green tea may enhance weight loss by increasing energy (or calorie) expenditure. However, the researchers noted that green tea contains a large amount of catechin polyphenols, which may work with other chemicals to enhance fat oxidation and thermogenesis, in which the body burns fuel such as fat to produce heat. The researchers stated that ``stimulation of thermogenesis and fat oxidation by the green tea extract'' did not raise subjects' heart rates This may make green tea a preferred weight loss aid as compared to stimulant diet drugs, which can have adverse cardiac effects, especially in ``obese individuals with hypertension and other cardiovascular complications.'' - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999 |
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| On the July 12, 2000 Good Morning America, Dr. Andrew Weil highly recommended drinking green tea for it's high antioxidant content. He advised those who "think they don't like green tea" to "find good quality green tea". | |
| "...Scientists think that tea's potential health benefits are tied to its polyphenols. They are antioxidants that, like the good-guy substances found in fruits and vegetables, destroy cell-damaging molecules known as free radicals. Free radicals are formed as a byproduct of normal metabolism and exposure to the sun, chemical and environmental pollutants, including cigarette smoke. They are believed to contribute to aging and a variety of diseases. Besides neutralizing free radicals, tea polyphenols may affect certain enzyme activity and slow the conversion of normal cells into tumor cells....studies of mice and rats show that green tea and black tea inhibit cancer formation....The caffeine in tea also may play a role...tea's impact on preventing cancer of the esophagus, mouth and stomach looks the most promising... There is some real promise for tea..." - USA TODAY: February 2, 2000: Nanci Hellmich | |
| "Brewed tea appears to have more antioxidant action than almost any whole fruit or vegetable-and more than most commercial fruit or vegetable juices, too...Tea is unusually rich in a potent class of antioxidants called polyphenols. In fact, one study found that a polyphenol in tea was stronger than any of the 38 other antioxidants tested...Numerous studies have shown that tea...can protect lab animals against cancer of the breast, colon, esophagus, intestine, liver, lung pancreas, skin, or stomach....Previous research has shown that green tea, black tea, or both can also help check the formation of certain carcinogenic compounds; disrupt several tumor-promoting enzymes; kill or at least slow the growth of actual cancer cells while leaving normal cells unscathed; and prevent normal cells from turning cancerous...Drinking regular or decaffeinated green tea-and perhaps oolong or black tea, too-is an inexpensive way to boost your antioxidant intake and possibly can help reduce your risk of disease..." - CONSUMER REPORTS: November 1999 | |
| "...the most recent evidence suggests that people may want to drink five or more cups a day. ..The polyphenol levels in instant teas and bottled teas are lower than freshly brewed tea....if a tea is a little lower in antioxidants, you can easily make up the difference by drinking a little more of it...But tea drinkers shouldn't get too hung up with antioxidant levels in individual brands of tea because there may be components other than antioxidants in tea that are equally important - or maybe more important..." -USA TODAY: February 2, 2000: Nanci Hellmich | |
| "A new study suggests that black and green tea may offer more protection against cancer than previously believed....an Oregon State University study using rats indicates that tea also may offer some protection even after genetic damage has occurred...Both green and black tea showed anti-cancer activity. "In rats, it seems that green tea is more effective in fighting cancer than black tea if both are prepared the same way" according to OSU professor Dashwood. CORVALLIS GAZETTE TIMES: December 21, 1999: Associated Press | |
| "Researchers have looked at the role tea plays in fighting cancer and heart disease. The results showed that black and green teas may help reduce the risk of some forms of cancer and can help reduce cholesterol...Increase your antioxidants by adding tea to your eating plan. The increased fluid intake is another plus to drinking tea." - THE AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION: February 11, 2000 | |
| "...researchers at the University of Kansas...recently found that an antioxidant in green tea is actually one hundred times more effective than vitamin C, twenty-five times better than vitamin E, and twice as powerful as red wine at protecting cells from damage linked to cancer and heart disease. Black or oolong have about half the punch as the green stuff...." - ON THE MENU: Carolyn O'Neil: 1998 | |
| What's Really Cool About Iced Tea "...brewed black and green teas have about 30 mg of catechins a cup; ...However, all the premade teas put to the test had ... nothing. And the calorie counts were way higher. A 12 oz. portion of presweetened, ready-to-drink iced tea packs about 150 calories, slightly more than a soft drink's 140. Even if you stir two teaspoons of sugar into a glass of plain black tea, you'll sip only 32 calories. ...it's best to brew your own." - HEALTH MAGAZINE Alice Lesch Kelly |
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