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| Sunday, 10 February 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Tea and your health by DR. D. P. ATUKORALE As part of the dietary intake tea has been gaining popularity as a health beverage due to its high content of antioxidants. Antioxidants in tea are called flavonoids. Both black and green tea are very rich sources of antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances found in food and drinks which can protect us from harmful effects of free radicals. Well-known examples of antioxidants are vitamin A, C, E and betacarotene. Free radical is an unstable substance which can disrupt and damage molecules in the body. Although the oxygen we breathe is vital to life it is also incorporated in very reactive substances called free radicals which are harmful to our bodies. Free radicals have been implicated in the slow chain reaction of damage leading to heart disease, cancer and aging process. Antioxidants in our diet help to prevent and repair the damage caused by free radical attack. Best known antioxidants are Vit C, E and beta carotene found in fruits, vegetables, cereals and vegetable oils. The Tufts University has analysed the antioxidant capacity of various types of tea and found that black tea had more antioxidant capacity than green tea. Green tea has more antioxidant called EGCG compared to black tea. Antioxidant capacity of tea depends on how long you brew tea. Within five minutes of brewing, 85% of antioxidant potential of tea was released and other 15% released after another 5 minutes. Dr. Andrew Waterhouse of University of California at Davis found that tea supplied as many antioxidants known as catechins as red wine. He found that a glass of red wine has 300 milligrams of catechins. A cup of green tea has 375 milligrams of catechins. The New York Academy of Medicine held a symposium on Pharmacological and Physiological effects of tea in 1955 and had found that tea, unlike coffee does not cause nervousness, insomnia, fatigue or stomach irritation when drunk in quantity. They found that tea is a good agent in relieving fatigue and aids clearness of thought and digestion. A word of caution One should however, not drink gallons of tea. One should not drink more than 10 cups of tea per day. In addition to drinking tea eat a well balanced diet, including a variety of whole grains, fruits and vegetables and take regular exercises. Like most foods when consumed in excess tea produces undesirable effects as those susceptible to kidney stones may consume much of the oxalate when they drink excessive amounts of tea. Tea contains two compounds caffeine and theophylline that have diuretic effect. Effects on heart Various research studies conducted on tea gives us an insight into benefits of tea to keep heart diseases at bay. According to Rotterdam study published in a recent edition of Archives of Internal Medicine, Women in Netherlands who drank 1 to 2 cups of tea reduced risk of severe atherosclerosis, key factor contributing to coronary heart disease. The women who drank more than 5 cups of tea per day had the lowest risk of atherosclerosis. The researchers of the Rotterdam study concluded that the "data provide evidence for protective effect of tea drinking against severe atherosclerosis, especially in women." The study also showed a similar trend in men. 3454 men and women aged 55 years and over who were free of cardiovascular diseases were used for the study. At the Epidemiological Congress 2001, a joint Meeting of Canadian and American Scientific Societies, a new research paper on health benefits of drinking black tea was presented. 1764 women in Saudi Arabia had been studied and this showed that tea drinkers are 19% less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease. The Saudi women who consumed black tea had total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) which were significantly lower than non-tea drinkers. Most marked reduction in blood lipid levels were observed in women who consumed 6 or more cups of black tea per day. In a study conducted by Joseph A Vita of Boston University School of Medicine, it was found that drinking up to 4 cups of tea per day improved endothelial function of blood vessels. This study demonstrated that drinking tea reverses an underlying abnormality of blood vessel function related to heart disease and stroke. The above studies confirm the critical role of antioxidants found abundantly in tea to prevent heart disease. tea and strokes Drinking tea can soak your brain in antioxidants thus slowing down brain decline. There is evidence that tea can cut the risk of strokes. A study of 5000 Japanese women found that those who drank at least 5 cups of green tea everyday had half as many strokes as women who drank less. Tea helped to keep blood vessels especially the micro-vessels which fed the brain as well as the heart, healthy. Other research workers have found that tea can thwart dreaded lipid peroxidation, the first step in brain cell destruction. Green tea and breast cancer Japanese researchers at Saitoma Cancer Center Research Institute have found that in heavy consumers of green tea, cancer spread to lymph nodes was less frequent. Women with less aggressive breast cancer who drank more than 5 cups of green tea a day were 50% less likely to have a recurrence than women drinking less than 4 cups daily. Green tea appears to improve prognosis and survival by suppressing spread and growth of breast cancer. Tea prevents tooth decay Tea helps to prevent tooth decay in several ways. It contains solid dose of fluoride. According to research at Tokyo Dental College, it fights the kind of bacteria in the mouth that causes gum disease and eventually loss of teeth. It also kills the greatest cavity causing bacteria in the mouth, streplococus mutans. Black tea helps to keep the plaques from forming on your teeth. Tea drinkers suffer from chronic gastritis half as non drinkers, according to researchers at the UCLA School of Public Health and Janssen Cancer Center at UCLA. According to a recent edition of International Journal of Cancer, green tea drinkers have low risk of stomach cancer, 48% less than non-drinkers. Chronic gastritis is a common inflammatory condition that causes pre-cancerous lesions of stomach and progression from chronic gastritis to cancer is slow. Green tea contains antioxidants that researchers believe may inhibit the development of chronic gastritis and halt the progression of stomach cancer. Other health benefits Green and black tea may prevent sun induced skin cancer. British researchers have found that female tea drinkers have stronger bones than non-tea drinkers. Tea boosts your metabolism and helps you to burn more calories. Tea may stave off signs of aging. prebiotics and your child's health Every mother knows the importance to ensure that her child eats the right food. The growing up years are crucial and sets the foundation for healthy growth and development. Growing children such as toddlers and preschoolers require an increased amount of energy and nutrients for their active lifestyle. Since children are generally poor eaters and have very small appetites, ensuring that they get the required nutrients in their food becomes critical. It is important to provide them with the correct nutrient dense foods i.e. those that supply plenty of nutrients in a small volume of food. This will ensure proper growth and development. However, good nutrition alone is not enough. Proper absorption is just as important. Recent nutritional breakthroughs have helped in the development of 'functional foods' which produce specific health benefits. Functional foods such as Prebiotics can be added as a food supplement to food to give specific, health benefits. What are Prebiotics? Prebiotics are non-digestible natural food ingredients (normally a carbohydrate) that can beneficially affect and improve children's health by promoting a healthy digestive system. This will help to better absorb nutrients such as protein, vitamins, iron and calcium, all of which are essential to build a healthier body and mind in growing children. The addition of Prebiotics also reduces harmful bacteria in the stomach, the risk of infectious diarrhoea & likelihood of constipation. This will help growing children grow smarter and stronger faster. (For more information contact Grant Public Relations Col.3) |
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