| Tea: It Does the Body Good | | | | (Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart |
| Studies that support the health benefits of tea drinking | | | | Association, 2001). |
| keep filling the headlines. There's simply no denying that | | | | Cancer Prevention: |
| a daily spot of tea does the body good. | | | | - Green tea could help stem esophageal cancer. |
| Even though researchers can't quite agree on every | | | | (Harvard Medical School, 2004). |
| aspect, I'm sold on the fact that a few cups a day will | | | | - Green and black tea can slow down the spread of |
| do its best to protect me from heart disease, a stroke, | | | | prostate cancer (Center for Human Nutrition at |
| cancer, and more. | | | | UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, 2004). |
| What Makes Tea Good for the Body? | | | | - Tea may protect against cancer caused by smoking. |
| Tea contains high levels of antioxidants, some of which | | | | (Journal of Nutrition, 2003). |
| are called polyphenols, flavonoids, and catechins, and all | | | | - Green tea and white tea fight colon cancer (Linus |
| of which take on the "free radicals" in the body and | | | | Pauling Institute at Oregon State University study, |
| prevent them from harming the healthy cells on board. | | | | Carcinogenesis, 2003). |
| In other words, sending in antioxidants is disease | | | | - Hot tea may lower risk of some skin cancers |
| prevention in its finest form. Antioxidants are ready | | | | (University of Arizona study, Cancer Epidemiology, |
| and waiting not only in teas but also in several fruits, | | | | Biomarkers and Prevention (Vol. 9, No. 7), 2001). |
| vegetables, nuts, meats, and even wines (see my | | | | - Green tea consumption may lower stomach cancer |
| health benefits of wine article). | | | | risk (University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) |
| If that were not enough, tea also contains flouride | | | | School of Public Health study, International Journal of |
| which benefits your teeth and has bacteria killing | | | | Cancer (Vol. 92: 600-604), 2001). |
| properties which helps control bad breath and the | | | | Hypertension-Reducing Benefits: |
| formation of plaque. | | | | - Green and oolong teas reduce risk of hypertension |
| Are All Teas Equally Good for the Body? | | | | (National Cheng Kung University study, Archives of |
| This is a question researchers are still squabbling over. | | | | Internal Medicine, 2004). |
| Does green tea have more antioxidants than black | | | | Immunity-Boosting Benefits |
| tea? Should I drink instant tea or loose leaf tea for | | | | - Tea believed to boost the body's defenses |
| better health benefits? Is hot tea better than iced tea? | | | | (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, |
| And here's what it comes down to: | | | | 2003) |
| - Higher quality teas may have more catechin | | | | Leukemia-Fighting Benefits: |
| antioxidants than lower quality teas. | | | | - A green tea component helps kill leukemia cells |
| - White tea has more antioxidants than any other tea. | | | | (Mayo Clinic, 2004). |
| - Green tea has more catechin antioxidants than black | | | | Alzheimer's-Fighting Benefits: |
| tea since black tea goes through more processing. | | | | - Drinking tea might delay Alzheimer's Disease |
| - Unfermented rooibos tea has more polyphenol | | | | (Newcastle University's Medicinal Plant Research |
| antioxidants than fermented rooibos. | | | | Centre study, Phytotherapy Research, 2004). |
| - Freshly brewed teas have more polyphenol | | | | AIDS-Fighting Benefits: |
| antioxidants than instant or bottled teas. | | | | - Tea may play a role as an AIDS fighter (University of |
| - More researchers seem to agree that brewed (cold | | | | Tokyo, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, |
| or hot) or caffeinated tea has more antioxidants than | | | | 2003). |
| instant teas. | | | | In Conclusion: |
| Here's a short preview of the hundreds of recent | | | | So how do you get started in doing your body some |
| studies that boast the health benefits of tea and its | | | | good with tea? |
| antioxidants: | | | | To get the most health benefits out of your teas, |
| Heart Benefits: | | | | choose high-quality loose leaf teas from your local or |
| - Study finds tea drinkers have lower blood pressure | | | | online tea shop. Brew it up and enjoy. And of course, |
| (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004). | | | | don't throw out the idea of enjoying instant or bottled |
| - Tea may lower cholesterol and protect against heart | | | | teas when you're on the go. You just might have to |
| disease (Journal of Nutrition, 2003). | | | | drink a little more. |
| - Black tea may lower "bad" cholesterol (United States | | | | Don't wait any longer. Sip, savor, and fight disease |
| Department of Agriculture (USDA) Beltsville Human | | | | today. It's never too late to enjoy the many health |
| Nutrition Research Center, 2003). | | | | benefits of tea! |
| - Tea consumption may help heart disease patients | | | | |