“What are You Drinking?” – Part Two
Part 2 of 2
In the previous newsletter, we discussed the origins, the history, and some of the benefits of drinking tea. In this one I will give you a few more reasons why you should be drinking it every day!
Tea has been in the diet of mankind for over 5000 years, and it is increasing in popularity. The medicinal benefits touted by the Emperors of China thousands of years ago are now being backed up by modern science. There are many chemicals within tea that promote your quality of health, with this one being one of the best: polyphenols.
What are polyphenols?
It is the term used to describe the several thousands of plant molecules that have antioxidant properties that are beneficial to your health. Catechins are a specific group of antioxidants within polyphenols that are present at high levels in all teas, especially green and white. One super antioxidant chemical in tea is called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). All studies point to its potent effect in controlling inflammation. What are the common inflammatory conditions that we accept as normal and deal with every day in this country? Asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, chronic peritonitis, ulcerative colitis, Cohn’s disease, chronic sinusitis, cancers, diabetes, heart disease, and any other medical term that has an extension at the end of the word with “itis.” Sounds like the list of all the pharmaceutical ads that are paraded in front of my eyes every day of the week, trying to convince me that I have no control over my personal health but they do. So what does this powerful antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate do? Read below and I’ll let you be the judge!
According to the National Cancer Institute the polyphenols in tea have been shown to decrease tumor growth in laboratory animals and may protect against damage caused by ultraviolet UVB rays. Drinking green tea also seems to reduce the mortality rate from all causes including cardiovascular disease (American Medical Association (2006). The journal of the American Heart Association associated drinking green tea on a regular basis with reducing the risk of a stroke (Yoshihiro Kokubo, M.D., PhD). The journal published by Psychopharmacology (2014) suggests green tea can enhance your brain cognitive functions. Researchers in 2011 tested another component found in green tea called CAGTE and the affect it had on Alzheimer’s disease. Results showed it protected cells from the toxic effects of amyloid-beta. The University of Missouri showed a molecule in green tea may help prevent the misfolding of specific proteins in the brain. They also found with the combination of drinking green tea and exercise, it hindered the progress of Alzheimer’s disease in mice (2015). Green tea could also be an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis according to the journal “Arthritis and Rheumatology.” I could list many, many more quotes and studies, but I think you are getting my point by now.
Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world next to water. We have survived drinking both for over 5000 years and did well. Can you imagine the results on mankind if we started out back then drinking soda, lattes, energy drinks, and the heavily laden sugar products that we embrace and trust as normal today? My guess is we would probably be extinct by now!
So why do I tout drinking green/white tea so much above all the others?
It is because they have the highest amounts of polyphenols of all of the teas per cup. Besides the testimonies of the studies listed above, it is a very simple beverage to make, inexpensive, portable, relaxing and extremely healthy while helping you build a strong defense against disease. It also helps negate the unhealthy effects of the poor choices in beverages you might be drinking today from commercial products such as sodas. When I speak about drinking tea to improve your quality of health, I am certainly not including the commercially produced tea found in a bottle nor in a can that sits on your grocery store’s shelf. Please avoid them at all costs since most of them contain artificial colors (including caramel coloring), high fructose corn syrup, sugar, preservatives, sodium, natural flavorings, and artificial sweeteners. These are the very same unwanted ingredients that help promote the creation of free radicals you are trying to avoid in the first place. What I am speaking about is this: personally brew your own tea from scratch in either loose form or in a tea bag from your home or office. That’s right! Turn on the stove, heat some water, brew a pot of tea and add some freshly squeezed lemon and enjoy. Make your own healthy beverage instead of relying on someone else to do it for you. It is one of the best decisions you can ever make in the preservation of your health with very little investment of your time. The antioxidant performance of drinking naturally brewed green or white tea out-performs vitamin C & E by twofold in neutralizing free radicals!
I personally drink about 5-6 cups a day with great results. It is one of the main pillars in lifestyle choices I decided to change for my health well over 16 years ago. I attribute my consumption of drinking green/white tea daily to helping me to enjoy this quality of good health that I am blessed with today (65). I always add a freshly squeezed lemon (not the artificial liquid that comes in a plastic yellow squeezable container shaped like a lemon) to my tea. Yes, add a real lemon! This helps release even more of the healthy polyphenols to be absorbed by the body. It also helps negate the natural tannins found in tea while giving it a pleasant and refreshing taste. If you must sweeten your tea, please add honey and avoid using sugar or artificial sweeteners!
Like any diet change, one must be vigilant. Tea has some powerful and healthy chemicals to offer, but if you are already on some medications, please consult your physician first before starting. Tea has vitamin K which is the blood clotting vitamin. If you are on blood thinners, consulting your doctor first is a must before drinking!
Most of the commercial beverages that we trust and drink today have only been around for about 10, 20 or maybe 60 years. That is a very short time to know what their effect on our health will be, or do we? I think we do. This is also the same time sequence when the personal health of individuals as a nation began to fail at an alarming rate (the increase of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.). I don’t know about you, but if I have to put my trust in choosing a beverage to drink for the preservation of my health, I will always pick one that has a proven track record of well over 5000 years as opposed to one that has been created recently in a modern lab with artificial colors, preservatives and sugars. It seems that the commercial beverages we drink today are having the opposite effect on our health compared to the benefits of tea consumption. As the title above simply asks; “What are You Drinking?”
FYI: According to Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, when they combined green tea extract and exercise with mice that were on a high fat diet, they regularly experience a sharp reduction in their body mass of 27.1% and an average abdominal fat mass reduction of 36.6%. They also experienced a 17% reduction in fasting blood glucose levels, a 65% decrease in plasma insulin level and reduction of insulin resistance of 65% (April 2 2014). Sounds like another great reason to drink tea!