Thursday, April 10, 2008

What You Should Know About Tea


Over at the Precision Nutrition forums (Precision Nutrition is John Barardi's company), there is a great article on tea by Ryan Andrews, containing just about everything there is to know, from preparation to benefits. Check it out.

Here is a bit of the article:

The Benefits of Regular Tea Consumption
Now, let’s outline some of the benefits attributed to regular tea consumption.
Note: These benefits were outlined at the 2007 "Tea and Health" symposium, a conference in which tea researchers world-wide got together and provided some definitive answers on what tea does and what it doesn't do - at least, according to what we know today.
We'll list these benefits by category...
Tea and body composition
  • Green tea increased 24-hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation
  • 3-months of tea consumption decreased waist circumference by 4.5%
Tea and cardiovascular health
  • Tea increased lipid oxidation
  • Tea improved blood vessel function
  • Those who consumed 3 or more cups of black tea per day had a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
  • Drinking 6 or more cups of black tea per day was associated with decreased serum cholesterol and triglycerides
  • Those who drank a cup or more of black tea daily had a 44% reduction in the risk of heart attack compared to non-tea drinkers
  • Those who consumed tea during the year prior to a heart attack were up to 44% more likely to survive following the cardiac event
  • Japanese men and women who consumed just over 2 cups of green tea per day reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 22 - 33%
  • 5 cups of black tea per day reduced LDL cholesterol by 11% and total cholesterol by 6.5% compared to placebo beverages
  • Those who consumed 4 cups of tea per day had a 69% lower risk of atherosclerosis
  • Tea restored blood vessel function in those with coronary artery disease
  • Tea helped to prevent atherosclerosis
  • Tea enhanced dilation of blood vessels
  • Regular tea drinkers had a 65% reduced risk of developing high blood pressure
Tea and cancer
  • Tea inhibited oxidative damage
  • Tea decreased the growth of abnormal cells and inhibited uncontrolled cell growth
  • Drinking tea combated free radical damage
  • Tea boosted the immune system
  • Tea helped prevent prostate cancer
  • Those who drank tea had a reduced risk of skin cancer
  • Tea assisted in the regression of oral cancer
  • Tea drinkers had decreased ovarian cancer risk
Tea and immune function
  • Tea boosted natural resistance to microbial infection
Tea and oral health
  • Tea inhibited the plaque forming ability of oral bacteria
Tea and bone health
  • Although caffeine intake has been suggested to be a risk factor for reduced bone mineral density, research indicated that drinking tea does not negatively affect bone mineral density
  • Older women who drank tea had a higher bone mineral density than those who did not drink tea
Tea and kidney stones
  • Those who drank tea had a lower risk of developing kidney stones
Tea and neurological decline
  • Drinking tea resulted in a reduced risk of Parkinsons disease
Tea and spouse selection
  • Those who drank 5 cups of green tea each day had a more attractive spouse (are you still paying attention to my article? This one has yet to be confirmed by research - but you never know).

Read the whole article.


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