I am a regular green tea drinker. I drink anywhere from 3 to 5 cups of green tea a day. Green tea has become such a passion of mine that I opened an online green tea store to be able to offer affordable high quality green tea to everyone.
My initial reason for drinking green tea is based on the health benefits. Although you can never be certain that all the findings in the studies are absolutely true, there seems to be overwhelming information to suggest that green tea has a number of amazing health benefits.
Health Benefits of Green Tea
Tea contains vitamins A, C, and E as well as health-promoting compounds called Flavonoids. The flavonoids, called polyphenols, act as antioxidants that counter the effects of reactive oxygen molecules that result from normal body functions and contribute to aging and chronic disease.
One subgroup of polyphenols, called catechins, is abundant in green tea (China Green Tea - Japan Green Tea), especially tea made from the very top of the bush. Catechins were discovered in the 1970s, when medical researchers were looking for the reason people in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture - a major tea-growing area - had much lower rates of cancer than other Japanese, even when they were very heay smokers. One catechin in particular, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), is found in no other plant than tea, and it's one of the most potent antioxidants yet discovered - up to twenty times stronger than Vitamin E. Numerous studies have found EGCg to be effective in preventing and inhibiting cancer growth.
Catechins make up as much as 30 percent of the dry weight of green tea leaves, but only three to ten percent of black tea. Steeping the leaves for three to five minutes releases the optimal amount of catechins.
Here is a list of alleged benefits of green tea, but as always I would consult with your doctor for more information:
EGCG in green tea blocks the mutation of cells, reducing cell damage; blocks tumor growth; and blocks the liver enzymes that convert pro-carcinogens (i.e., harmless substances in the body that can turn into cancer agents) into carcinogens.
EGCG is green tea blocks enzymes that cause cancer cells to grow and it can destroy cancer cells with damaging surrounding healthy cells. Scientists also revealed that this effect is 10 to 100 times more potent in green tea than in black tea.
Tea increases the blood's antioxidant capacity.
Based on animal studies, tea may reduce the risk of lung cancer.
EGCG kills cancer cells and, in particular, inhibits prostate cancer cells.
Green tea has been shown to reduce damage to blood vessels in smokers.
Green tea's polyphenols can boost white blood cells, and might be an effective supplement to chemotherapy and radiation treatments that impact bone marrow and lower white blood cell count.
Men who drank two to three cups of tea a day reduced their risk of prostate cancer.
Women who had a history of drinking five or more cups of green tea a day had fewer occurances of breast cancer and slower spread of the disease.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Do antioxidants make tea healthier than water?
The antioxidant content of tea could mean that drinking three or more cups a day could reduce the risk of a wide range of health problems, ranging from cancer to heart disease, and may even be healthier than water, says a review from Britain."Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so its got two things going for it, reviewer Dr Carrie Ruxton from Nutrition Communications told the BBC.
Interest in tea have mostly focusses on green tea, with consumption linked to a wide range of health benefits, including lower risk of certain cancers, weight loss, and protection against Alzheimer's.
The health benefits have been linked to the polyphenol content of the tea. Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent.
The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin.
But Dr. Ruxton and her co-authors from King's College London report that black tea also had positive effects on general health.
"We found some research showing that black and green tea contained similar amounts of antioxidants but different types. This can be expected as they come from the same plant but go through different processing," Dr. Ruxton told NutraIngredients.com.
"Antioxidant activity in the blood is similar too so one could assume that both types of tea confer heart health benefits," she said.
The review, sponsored by the Tea Council and published on-line in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602489), searcher databases for relevant epidemiological and clinical studies that were published between 1990 and 2004.
In terms of cardiovascular disease, the reviewers report that “clear evidence was found to link drinking three of more cups per day could reduce the risk.
Cancer risk did seem to be reduced in experimental (in vitro and animal studies) said the reviewers, but these results were not backed up by epidemiological evidence, they said.
A small note of caution however was noted by the observation that a non-effect or slight increase in risk of colorectal cancer with consumption of black tea.
The researchers also tackled the old wives' tale that drinking tea leads to dehydration, due to the diuretic caffeine content of the beverage. This was not backed up by the science, said the reviewers, with normal levels of hydration maintained when the tea contained less than 250 mg per cup.
"Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid, Dr. Ruxton told the BBC.
The reasons for these benefits was proposed to be related to the antioxidant action of tea polyphenols, wrote the reviewers.
“There was sufficient evidence to show risk reduction for CHD at intakes of more than three cups per day and for improved antioxidant status at intakes of one to six cups per day,concluded the reviewers.
“A maximum intake of eight cups per day would minimise any risk relating to excess caffeine consumption. Black tea generally had a positive effect on health.
The global tea market is worth about ‚¬790 (540, $941) million. Green tea accounts for about 20 per cent of total global production, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) accounts for about 78 per cent.
Interest in tea have mostly focusses on green tea, with consumption linked to a wide range of health benefits, including lower risk of certain cancers, weight loss, and protection against Alzheimer's.
The health benefits have been linked to the polyphenol content of the tea. Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent.
The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin.
But Dr. Ruxton and her co-authors from King's College London report that black tea also had positive effects on general health.
"We found some research showing that black and green tea contained similar amounts of antioxidants but different types. This can be expected as they come from the same plant but go through different processing," Dr. Ruxton told NutraIngredients.com.
"Antioxidant activity in the blood is similar too so one could assume that both types of tea confer heart health benefits," she said.
The review, sponsored by the Tea Council and published on-line in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602489), searcher databases for relevant epidemiological and clinical studies that were published between 1990 and 2004.
In terms of cardiovascular disease, the reviewers report that “clear evidence was found to link drinking three of more cups per day could reduce the risk.
Cancer risk did seem to be reduced in experimental (in vitro and animal studies) said the reviewers, but these results were not backed up by epidemiological evidence, they said.
A small note of caution however was noted by the observation that a non-effect or slight increase in risk of colorectal cancer with consumption of black tea.
The researchers also tackled the old wives' tale that drinking tea leads to dehydration, due to the diuretic caffeine content of the beverage. This was not backed up by the science, said the reviewers, with normal levels of hydration maintained when the tea contained less than 250 mg per cup.
"Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid, Dr. Ruxton told the BBC.
The reasons for these benefits was proposed to be related to the antioxidant action of tea polyphenols, wrote the reviewers.
“There was sufficient evidence to show risk reduction for CHD at intakes of more than three cups per day and for improved antioxidant status at intakes of one to six cups per day,concluded the reviewers.
“A maximum intake of eight cups per day would minimise any risk relating to excess caffeine consumption. Black tea generally had a positive effect on health.
The global tea market is worth about ‚¬790 (540, $941) million. Green tea accounts for about 20 per cent of total global production, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) accounts for about 78 per cent.
Antioxidants in. Free radicals out. Tea can do that
Work out your inside the way you work out your body.
TEA CAN DO THAT™
Antioxidants can help the body protect itself against free radicals—molecules that can damage cells. Antioxidants in tea called flavonoids can do that.
Whether iced or hot, Teas made from real tea leaves provide more than great taste. Like fruits and vegetables, regular and decaffeinated brewed teas contain natural antioxidants called flavonoids* (10-22, 68, 69). Research suggests that antioxidants can be beneficial to health by helping the body protect itself from the harmful effects of “free radicals” (1-9, 26-30, 73-75). Free radicals, molecules which occur in the environment and are naturally produced by the body, can cause damage to cells. Chronic damage by free radicals is one factor thought to contribute to the development of many chronic diseases including heart disease or cancer. An average cup of brewed green or black tea has 150-200 mg of flavonoids (10-21).
Currently, tea’s potential health benefits are the focus of many scientific studies, and new research is emerging regularly. The American Dietetic Association in its Position Paper on Functional Foods included black and green tea as functional foods. Based on the available scientific research, the paper stated that the health benefits of drinking black or green tea include possible reduced risk for coronary heart disease, as well as gastric, esophageal and skin cancers (33). Tea and tea flavonoids have also been shown to help strengthen the body’s immune system (34-43, 57-64), protect teeth by inhibiting plaque bacteria (44, 45, 56), potentially fight free radicals produced during strenuous exercise (76-80), and possibly increase calories burned during everyday activities (65, 66). While this emerging research is promising, more studies on the role of tea and tea antioxidants must be completed before drawing any conclusions about tea’s contribution to health and wellness.
The flavonoids found in black and green tea have been shown to be powerful antioxidants. The USDA and other researchers have used test tube based studies to measure the antioxidants in tea, fruits and vegetables, and antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin E. These studies have confirmed that tea contains important dietary antioxidants call flavonoids. (1, 2, 3, 71) Additionally, studies show tea flavonoids are absorbed by and can act as antioxidants in the body (23-32, 72). Together, these studies provide evidence that tea contains protective antioxidants and antioxidants can help the protect body itself against free radicals, molecules that can damage cells.
Antioxidants in. Free radicals out. Tea can do that.
Tea Flavonoids Fight Free Radicals
Published in the Journal of Nutrition, a recent intervention study found that smokers who drank four cups of decaffeinated green tea per day had a 31 percent decrease in measures of free radical damage to DNA in white blood cells as compared to those who drank four cups of water (67). In addition, two population studies in Asia evaluated the effects of tea drinking on cell DNA damage caused by free radicals from smoking. In both studies, DNA damage was found to be significantly lower in study participants who drank black or green tea compared to those who did not drink tea (6, 7). Further evidence from preliminary research in people conducted in both China and the US showed that drinking green tea significantly reduced free radical damage in both smokers and non-smokers (8). These studies demonstrate that antioxidants in tea help reduce free radical damage to DNA in smokers consuming 3-6 cups of tea per day, supporting the conclusion that tea flavonoids are effective dietary antioxidants.
*While tea is a naturally rich source of antioxidants, it is not a substitute for fruits or vegetables which provide a wide range of antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals. Please consult your doctor regarding a diet/nutritional plan that is right for you.
TEA CAN DO THAT™
Antioxidants can help the body protect itself against free radicals—molecules that can damage cells. Antioxidants in tea called flavonoids can do that.
Whether iced or hot, Teas made from real tea leaves provide more than great taste. Like fruits and vegetables, regular and decaffeinated brewed teas contain natural antioxidants called flavonoids* (10-22, 68, 69). Research suggests that antioxidants can be beneficial to health by helping the body protect itself from the harmful effects of “free radicals” (1-9, 26-30, 73-75). Free radicals, molecules which occur in the environment and are naturally produced by the body, can cause damage to cells. Chronic damage by free radicals is one factor thought to contribute to the development of many chronic diseases including heart disease or cancer. An average cup of brewed green or black tea has 150-200 mg of flavonoids (10-21).
Currently, tea’s potential health benefits are the focus of many scientific studies, and new research is emerging regularly. The American Dietetic Association in its Position Paper on Functional Foods included black and green tea as functional foods. Based on the available scientific research, the paper stated that the health benefits of drinking black or green tea include possible reduced risk for coronary heart disease, as well as gastric, esophageal and skin cancers (33). Tea and tea flavonoids have also been shown to help strengthen the body’s immune system (34-43, 57-64), protect teeth by inhibiting plaque bacteria (44, 45, 56), potentially fight free radicals produced during strenuous exercise (76-80), and possibly increase calories burned during everyday activities (65, 66). While this emerging research is promising, more studies on the role of tea and tea antioxidants must be completed before drawing any conclusions about tea’s contribution to health and wellness.
The flavonoids found in black and green tea have been shown to be powerful antioxidants. The USDA and other researchers have used test tube based studies to measure the antioxidants in tea, fruits and vegetables, and antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin E. These studies have confirmed that tea contains important dietary antioxidants call flavonoids. (1, 2, 3, 71) Additionally, studies show tea flavonoids are absorbed by and can act as antioxidants in the body (23-32, 72). Together, these studies provide evidence that tea contains protective antioxidants and antioxidants can help the protect body itself against free radicals, molecules that can damage cells.
Antioxidants in. Free radicals out. Tea can do that.
Tea Flavonoids Fight Free Radicals
Published in the Journal of Nutrition, a recent intervention study found that smokers who drank four cups of decaffeinated green tea per day had a 31 percent decrease in measures of free radical damage to DNA in white blood cells as compared to those who drank four cups of water (67). In addition, two population studies in Asia evaluated the effects of tea drinking on cell DNA damage caused by free radicals from smoking. In both studies, DNA damage was found to be significantly lower in study participants who drank black or green tea compared to those who did not drink tea (6, 7). Further evidence from preliminary research in people conducted in both China and the US showed that drinking green tea significantly reduced free radical damage in both smokers and non-smokers (8). These studies demonstrate that antioxidants in tea help reduce free radical damage to DNA in smokers consuming 3-6 cups of tea per day, supporting the conclusion that tea flavonoids are effective dietary antioxidants.
*While tea is a naturally rich source of antioxidants, it is not a substitute for fruits or vegetables which provide a wide range of antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals. Please consult your doctor regarding a diet/nutritional plan that is right for you.
Tea antioxidants: Does 'instant' offer same benefits as 'brewed'?
I know that brewed tea contains antioxidants. What about instant tea?
Answer
Instant tea has fewer antioxidants than brewed tea. This is because processing of tea reduces its antioxidant content, and instant tea is more highly processed than brewed tea. Decaffeinated tea also has fewer antioxidants than caffeinated teas.
Brewed tea is a rich source of antioxidants, including flavonoids and catechins. Antioxidants are natural compounds found in many foods. These compounds may protect against tissue damage from free radicals, which may lead to diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Answer
Instant tea has fewer antioxidants than brewed tea. This is because processing of tea reduces its antioxidant content, and instant tea is more highly processed than brewed tea. Decaffeinated tea also has fewer antioxidants than caffeinated teas.
Brewed tea is a rich source of antioxidants, including flavonoids and catechins. Antioxidants are natural compounds found in many foods. These compounds may protect against tissue damage from free radicals, which may lead to diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
The Power of Antioxidants and Tea
Following a lifestyle that decreases LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and increases HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the primary path to lower cholesterol. However, there are certain foods thst can also make the LDL you do have less dangerous. LDL is a bigger threat when it becomes oxidized. This happens because of exposure to free radicals, highly reactive molecules that are byproducts of bodily functions involving oxygen (which is just about all of them). When LDL is oxidized it becomes stickier and therefore more likely to form plaque. If LDL can be prevented from oxidizing, your arteries are less likely to become clogged. How do you prevent LDL from becoming oxidized? With antioxidants -- which many of nature's best-tasting foods happen to include. Antioxidant-rich foods include, fruit, vegetables, tea, and chocolate. Tea, whether black or green, caffeinated or decaffeinated (herbal teas don't count), has spectacular antioxidant capabilities owing to large amounts of substances called flavonoids. In addition to preventing oxidation, flavonoids may have an anticlotting effect. One study found that among people who'd had heart attacks, those who drank 14 or more cups of tea a week were 44 percent less likely to die in the 3 1/2 years following their heart attacks than those who didn't drink any tea. In another study people who drank about 1 1/2 cups of tea daily had roughly half the risk of heart attack of those who didn't drink tea. An added bonus: A cup of black tea has less than half the caffeine of coffee; green tea has even less. Some tea tips: Bag it. When Consumer Reports tested the antioxidant punch of 15 brewed, bottled, and instant teas, it found most teas brewed from tea bags scored highest in antioxidant content. In fact, the magazine reported, "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." But iced teas from mixes and bottle are a decent second choice; they contain a "good deal" of antioxidants, according to the magazine. Just watch the sugar content. Dunk the bag. Continuously dunking the tea bag as the tea steeps seems to release far more antioxidant compounds than simply dropping it in and leaving it there. Add lemon. One study found that the addition of lemon to plain tea increased its antioxidant benefits. That makes sense, since lemon itself contains antioxidants. Brew a batch. To make a day's supply of iced tea, bring 20 ounces of water to a boil, then remove from the heat. Drop in three tea bags, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and refrigerate. Try green tea. Because it isn't fermented, green tea has even more antioxidant power than black tea does. It also has less caffeine. And it may provide some protection against certain cancers. Experiment with brands until you find one you like. Don't let green tea steep for more than a couple of minutes or it may become bitter.
Oodles of antioxidants are contained in green tea, black tea, even oolong tea.
Read the tea leaves, caffeine lovers. Tea is gaining ground over coffee. Tearooms are popping up everywhere. Even Starbucks is bucking up its tea menu.
The health benefits of tea are one compelling reason: Green and black teas have 10 times the antioxidants found in fruits and veggies, by one estimate.
For jaded coffee drinkers, tea also offers new sensory frontiers, with its roots in Chinese, Japanese, Indian, African, and South American cultures.
When you sip a chai tea latte, for example, you're enjoying a beverage born in India. "All over India, on almost every street corner, vendors sell chai tea," says Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Council of the U.S.A.
"The traditional tea lover won't like chai tea that much," he tells WebMD. "The spices -- ginger, cardamom -- overpower the taste of the black tea. But for American coffee consumers, it's perfect."
In the U.S., elegant tea salons, tearooms, and take-out tea shops are popping up everywhere, says Simrany. "Four years ago, we had one-quarter the tea salons we have today. Even coffee shops are selling more tea."
People find tranquility in tearooms, says Dominique Tanton, manager of the Dushanbe Teahouse, an exquisite traditional Persian teahouse in Boulder, Colo.
"Coffee shops are for the quick caffeine buzz before work or while you're frantically studying for a test," she tells WebMD. "A tearoom is for slowing down, relaxing, admiring the surroundings."
Small Wonder
Studies of humans, animals, and Petri dish experiments show that black and green tea is highly beneficial to our health, says 82-year-old John Weisburger, PhD, senior researcher at the Institute for Cancer Prevention in Valhalla, N.Y.
"I've published over 500 papers, including a helluva lot on tea," says Weisburger, who drinks 10 cups daily. "I was the first American researcher to show that tea modifies the metabolism to detoxify harmful chemicals."
Green tea, black tea, oolong tea -- they all come from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis; the leaves are simply processed differently, explains Weisburger. Green tea leaves are not fermented; they are withered and steamed. Black tea and oolong tea leaves undergo crushing and fermenting processes.
All teas from the Camellia tea plant are rich in polyphenols, which are antioxidants -- meaning they scavenge for cell-damaging free radicals and detoxify them, says Weisburger.
"Astounding" aptly describes tea's antioxidant power: "Whether it's green or black, tea has about 8 to 10 times the polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables," he says.
While herbal teas may also contain antioxidants, less is known about them, Weisburger adds.
"In my lab, we found that green and black tea had identical amounts of polyphenols," he tells WebMD. "We found that both types of tea blocked DNA damage associated with tobacco and other toxic chemicals. In animal studies, tea-drinking rats have less cancer."
Look at the world's big tea-drinkers, like Japan and China. "They have much less heart disease and don't have certain cancers that we in the western world suffer," says Weisburger.
However, be careful about doctoring-up your tea, says Weisburger. One study found that adding too much milk to can greatly reduce tea's health benefits.
"The scientific evidence about tea is evolving and I think it's compelling," Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy of Tufts University, tells WebMD.
"When tea drinkers' immune cells are exposed to germs in a Petri dish, the immune cells spring into action."
The Evidence on Tea
Tea is a great example of the past decade's research of antioxidants, he says. "There is a pretty consistent body of evidence suggesting there is a benefit to tea. Tea is a very rich source of a specific kind of antioxidant -- flavonoids," says Blumberg.
Admittedly, there has been conflict among the studies. One large study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed nearly 40,000 women for nearly seven years. Researchers found that drinking over four cups of tea a day did nothing to reduce their risk of heart disease.
However, the bulk of research is what counts most, Blumberg says. And that research has found that regular tea drinkers -- people who drink two cups or more a day -- have less heart disease and stroke, lower total and LDL cholesterol, and that they recover from heart attacks faster.
Smokers who drink four cups of tea regularly have less evidence of DNA cell damage -- genetic mutations that can lead to cancer. Mouse studies have found fewer lung tumors in mice drinking tea.
When tea drinkers' immune cells are exposed to germs in a Petri dish, the immune cells spring into action. When coffee drinkers' immune cells are exposed to germs, nothing happens.
Laboratory tests have also shown that black and green tea may help boost metabolism to aid weight loss, block allergic response, slow the growth of tumors, protect bones, fight bad breath, improve skin, protect against Parkinson's disease, even delay the onset of diabetes.
How is this possible? While the mechanisms within tea are complex, it seems to be the detoxifying effect of antioxidants that protects cells from free radicals -- the damage that leads to blood clot formation, atherosclerosis, and cancer, says Weisburger.
However, tea is not a cure-all. "Tea is certainly not a panacea," Blumberg tells WebMD. In fact, not everyone may benefit equally from tea. "I think we need to do more work to better define both why and who benefits from tea consumption."
The Bottom Line
"If you want do something good for yourself, drink tea," says Blumberg. "It has no calories and lots of phytochemicals. If you're drinking tea, you're not drinking soda -- that's a real benefit. Water doesn't give you those phytochemicals."
Weisburger recommends drinking six to 10 cups of black or green tea throughout the day, starting with breakfast. Switch to decaf tea midday, if you need to. "Flavonoids are unchanged by removal of caffeine," he says.
Kids should drinking tea, too. "We try to get children eat vegetables," Weisburger say. "I'm suggesting that children age 6 on should be drinking decaffeinated tea."
Not that kids need a fancy tearoom -- iced tea at home works fine.
SOURCES: John Weisburger, PhD, senior researcher, Institute for Cancer Prevention, Valhalla, N.Y. Joe Simrany, president, Tea Council of the U.S.A. Dominique Tanton, Dushanbe Teahouse, Boulder, Colo. WebMD Medical News: "Tea Good for Heart Disease, Cancer." WebMD Medical News: "Tea Extract Can Lower Cholesterol." WebMD Medical News: "There's Something to Be Said for Having 'Tea Bones.'" WebMD Medical News: "Tea Prolongs Survival After Heart Attack." WebMD Medical News: "Health Benefit of Tea: Add Germ Fighting." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea, Allergy Fighter?" WebMD Medical News: "Tea Fights Bad Breath, Mouth Bacteria." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea Protects Against Parkinson's." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea Supplement May Delay Diabetes." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea Boosts Metabolism, Protects Against Diseases." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea, White Tea Fight Colon Cancer." WebMD Medical News: "Tea: A Healthy Brew." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea, Glycine May Slow Tumor Growth." Sesso, H. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 2003; vol 77: pp 1400-1408. Hodgson, J. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 2003; vol 133: pp 2883-2886.
The health benefits of tea are one compelling reason: Green and black teas have 10 times the antioxidants found in fruits and veggies, by one estimate.
For jaded coffee drinkers, tea also offers new sensory frontiers, with its roots in Chinese, Japanese, Indian, African, and South American cultures.
When you sip a chai tea latte, for example, you're enjoying a beverage born in India. "All over India, on almost every street corner, vendors sell chai tea," says Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Council of the U.S.A.
"The traditional tea lover won't like chai tea that much," he tells WebMD. "The spices -- ginger, cardamom -- overpower the taste of the black tea. But for American coffee consumers, it's perfect."
In the U.S., elegant tea salons, tearooms, and take-out tea shops are popping up everywhere, says Simrany. "Four years ago, we had one-quarter the tea salons we have today. Even coffee shops are selling more tea."
People find tranquility in tearooms, says Dominique Tanton, manager of the Dushanbe Teahouse, an exquisite traditional Persian teahouse in Boulder, Colo.
"Coffee shops are for the quick caffeine buzz before work or while you're frantically studying for a test," she tells WebMD. "A tearoom is for slowing down, relaxing, admiring the surroundings."
Small Wonder
Studies of humans, animals, and Petri dish experiments show that black and green tea is highly beneficial to our health, says 82-year-old John Weisburger, PhD, senior researcher at the Institute for Cancer Prevention in Valhalla, N.Y.
"I've published over 500 papers, including a helluva lot on tea," says Weisburger, who drinks 10 cups daily. "I was the first American researcher to show that tea modifies the metabolism to detoxify harmful chemicals."
Green tea, black tea, oolong tea -- they all come from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis; the leaves are simply processed differently, explains Weisburger. Green tea leaves are not fermented; they are withered and steamed. Black tea and oolong tea leaves undergo crushing and fermenting processes.
All teas from the Camellia tea plant are rich in polyphenols, which are antioxidants -- meaning they scavenge for cell-damaging free radicals and detoxify them, says Weisburger.
"Astounding" aptly describes tea's antioxidant power: "Whether it's green or black, tea has about 8 to 10 times the polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables," he says.
While herbal teas may also contain antioxidants, less is known about them, Weisburger adds.
"In my lab, we found that green and black tea had identical amounts of polyphenols," he tells WebMD. "We found that both types of tea blocked DNA damage associated with tobacco and other toxic chemicals. In animal studies, tea-drinking rats have less cancer."
Look at the world's big tea-drinkers, like Japan and China. "They have much less heart disease and don't have certain cancers that we in the western world suffer," says Weisburger.
However, be careful about doctoring-up your tea, says Weisburger. One study found that adding too much milk to can greatly reduce tea's health benefits.
"The scientific evidence about tea is evolving and I think it's compelling," Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy of Tufts University, tells WebMD.
"When tea drinkers' immune cells are exposed to germs in a Petri dish, the immune cells spring into action."
The Evidence on Tea
Tea is a great example of the past decade's research of antioxidants, he says. "There is a pretty consistent body of evidence suggesting there is a benefit to tea. Tea is a very rich source of a specific kind of antioxidant -- flavonoids," says Blumberg.
Admittedly, there has been conflict among the studies. One large study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed nearly 40,000 women for nearly seven years. Researchers found that drinking over four cups of tea a day did nothing to reduce their risk of heart disease.
However, the bulk of research is what counts most, Blumberg says. And that research has found that regular tea drinkers -- people who drink two cups or more a day -- have less heart disease and stroke, lower total and LDL cholesterol, and that they recover from heart attacks faster.
Smokers who drink four cups of tea regularly have less evidence of DNA cell damage -- genetic mutations that can lead to cancer. Mouse studies have found fewer lung tumors in mice drinking tea.
When tea drinkers' immune cells are exposed to germs in a Petri dish, the immune cells spring into action. When coffee drinkers' immune cells are exposed to germs, nothing happens.
Laboratory tests have also shown that black and green tea may help boost metabolism to aid weight loss, block allergic response, slow the growth of tumors, protect bones, fight bad breath, improve skin, protect against Parkinson's disease, even delay the onset of diabetes.
How is this possible? While the mechanisms within tea are complex, it seems to be the detoxifying effect of antioxidants that protects cells from free radicals -- the damage that leads to blood clot formation, atherosclerosis, and cancer, says Weisburger.
However, tea is not a cure-all. "Tea is certainly not a panacea," Blumberg tells WebMD. In fact, not everyone may benefit equally from tea. "I think we need to do more work to better define both why and who benefits from tea consumption."
The Bottom Line
"If you want do something good for yourself, drink tea," says Blumberg. "It has no calories and lots of phytochemicals. If you're drinking tea, you're not drinking soda -- that's a real benefit. Water doesn't give you those phytochemicals."
Weisburger recommends drinking six to 10 cups of black or green tea throughout the day, starting with breakfast. Switch to decaf tea midday, if you need to. "Flavonoids are unchanged by removal of caffeine," he says.
Kids should drinking tea, too. "We try to get children eat vegetables," Weisburger say. "I'm suggesting that children age 6 on should be drinking decaffeinated tea."
Not that kids need a fancy tearoom -- iced tea at home works fine.
SOURCES: John Weisburger, PhD, senior researcher, Institute for Cancer Prevention, Valhalla, N.Y. Joe Simrany, president, Tea Council of the U.S.A. Dominique Tanton, Dushanbe Teahouse, Boulder, Colo. WebMD Medical News: "Tea Good for Heart Disease, Cancer." WebMD Medical News: "Tea Extract Can Lower Cholesterol." WebMD Medical News: "There's Something to Be Said for Having 'Tea Bones.'" WebMD Medical News: "Tea Prolongs Survival After Heart Attack." WebMD Medical News: "Health Benefit of Tea: Add Germ Fighting." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea, Allergy Fighter?" WebMD Medical News: "Tea Fights Bad Breath, Mouth Bacteria." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea Protects Against Parkinson's." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea Supplement May Delay Diabetes." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea Boosts Metabolism, Protects Against Diseases." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea, White Tea Fight Colon Cancer." WebMD Medical News: "Tea: A Healthy Brew." WebMD Medical News: "Green Tea, Glycine May Slow Tumor Growth." Sesso, H. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 2003; vol 77: pp 1400-1408. Hodgson, J. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 2003; vol 133: pp 2883-2886.
Tea and Cancer Prevention: Fact Sheet
Key Points
The antioxidants found in tea--called catechins--may selectively inhibit the growth of cancer (see Question 1).
In laboratory studies using animals, catechins scavenged oxidants before cell damage occurred, reduced the number and size of tumors, and inhibited the growth of cancer cells (see Question 3).
However, human studies have proven more contradictory, perhaps due to such factors as variances in diet, environments, and populations (see Question 4).
NCI researchers are investigating the therapeutic and preventive use of tea catechins against a variety of cancers (see Question 5).
Tea drinking is an ancient tradition dating back 5,000 years in China and India. Long regarded in those cultures as an aid to good health, researchers now are studying tea for possible use in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers. Investigators are especially interested in the antioxidants-called catechins-found in tea. Despite promising early research in the laboratory, however, studies involving humans so far have been inconclusive.
1. What are antioxidants?
The human body constantly produces unstable molecules called oxidants, also commonly referred to as free radicals. To become stable, oxidants steal electrons from other molecules and, in the process, damage cell proteins and genetic material. This damage may leave the cell vulnerable to cancer. Antioxidants are substances that allow the human body to scavenge and seize oxidants. Like other antioxidants, the catechins found in tea selectively inhibit specific enzyme activities that lead to cancer. They may also target and repair DNA aberrations caused by oxidants (1).
2. What is the level of antioxidants found in tea?
All varieties of tea come from the leaves of a single evergreen plant, Camellia sinensis. All tea leaves are picked, rolled, dried, and heated. With the additional process of allowing the leaves to ferment and oxidize, black tea is produced. Possibly because it is less processed, green tea contains higher levels of antioxidants than black tea.
Although tea is consumed in a variety of ways and varies in its chemical makeup, one study showed steeping either green or black tea for about five minutes released over 80 percent of its catechins. Instant iced tea, on the other hand, contains negligible amounts of catechins (1).
3. What are the laboratory findings?
In the laboratory, studies have shown tea catechins act as powerful inhibitors of cancer growth in several ways: They scavenge oxidants before cell injuries occur, reduce the incidence and size of chemically induced tumors, and inhibit the growth of tumor cells. In studies of liver, skin and stomach cancer, chemically induced tumors were shown to decrease in size in mice that were fed green and black tea (1, 2).
4. What are the results of human studies?
Although tea has long been identified as an antioxidant in the laboratory, study results involving humans have been contradictory. Some epidemiological studies comparing tea drinkers to non-tea drinkers support the claim that drinking tea prevents cancer; others do not. Dietary, environmental, and population differences may account for these inconsistencies.
Two studies in China, where green tea is a mainstay of the diet, resulted in promising findings. One study involving over 18,000 men found tea drinkers were about half as likely to develop stomach or esophageal cancer as men who drank little tea, even after adjusting for smoking and other health and diet factors (3). A second study at the Beijing Dental Hospital found consuming 3 grams of tea a day, or about 2 cups, along with the application of a tea extract reduced the size and proliferation of leukoplakia, a precancerous oral plaque (1).
However, a study in the Netherlands did not support these findings. It investigated the link between black tea consumption and the subsequent risk of stomach, colorectal, lung, and breast cancers among 58,279 men and 62,573 women ages 55 to 69. The study took into account such factors as smoking and overall diet. It found no link between tea consumption and protection against cancer (4).
5. Is NCI evaluating tea?
National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers are also investigating the therapeutic use of green tea. One recently completed but unpublished NCI trial studied the antitumor effect of green tea among prostate cancer patients. The 42 patients drank 6 grams of green tea, or about 4 cups, daily for four months. However, only one patient experienced a short-lived improvement, and nearly 70 percent of the group experienced unpleasant side effects such as nausea and diarrhea. The study concluded drinking green tea has limited antitumor benefit for prostate cancer patients (5).
Other ongoing NCI studies are testing green tea as a preventive agent against skin cancer. For example, one is investigating the protective effects of a pill form of green tea against sun-induced skin damage while another explores the topical application of green tea in shrinking precancerous skin changes. For more information about NCI-sponsored studies on green tea, go to http://www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials/.
References: (1) Dufresne CJ, Farnworth ER. A review of latest research findings on the health promotion properties of tea. J. Nutri Biochem 2001; 12 (7): 404-421. (2) Hakim IA, Harris RB. Joint effects of citrus peel use and black tea intake on risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. BMC Derm 2001; 1 (3). (3) Sun CL, Yuan JM, Lee MJ, Yang CS, Gao YT, Ross RK, Yu MC. Urinary tea polyphenols in relation to gastric and esophageal cancers: a prospective study of men in shanghai, china. Carcin 2002; 23 (9): 1497-1503. (4) Goldbohm RA, Hertog MG, Brants HA, van Poppel G, van den Brandt PA. Consumption of black tea and cancer risk: a prospective cohort study. JNCI 1996; 88 2): 93-100. (5) Phase II Study of Green Tea Extract in Patients with Androgen-Independent Metastic Prostate Cancer. Protocol Ids: NCCTG-N9951. NCI Clinical Trials http://www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials/.
The antioxidants found in tea--called catechins--may selectively inhibit the growth of cancer (see Question 1).
In laboratory studies using animals, catechins scavenged oxidants before cell damage occurred, reduced the number and size of tumors, and inhibited the growth of cancer cells (see Question 3).
However, human studies have proven more contradictory, perhaps due to such factors as variances in diet, environments, and populations (see Question 4).
NCI researchers are investigating the therapeutic and preventive use of tea catechins against a variety of cancers (see Question 5).
Tea drinking is an ancient tradition dating back 5,000 years in China and India. Long regarded in those cultures as an aid to good health, researchers now are studying tea for possible use in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers. Investigators are especially interested in the antioxidants-called catechins-found in tea. Despite promising early research in the laboratory, however, studies involving humans so far have been inconclusive.
1. What are antioxidants?
The human body constantly produces unstable molecules called oxidants, also commonly referred to as free radicals. To become stable, oxidants steal electrons from other molecules and, in the process, damage cell proteins and genetic material. This damage may leave the cell vulnerable to cancer. Antioxidants are substances that allow the human body to scavenge and seize oxidants. Like other antioxidants, the catechins found in tea selectively inhibit specific enzyme activities that lead to cancer. They may also target and repair DNA aberrations caused by oxidants (1).
2. What is the level of antioxidants found in tea?
All varieties of tea come from the leaves of a single evergreen plant, Camellia sinensis. All tea leaves are picked, rolled, dried, and heated. With the additional process of allowing the leaves to ferment and oxidize, black tea is produced. Possibly because it is less processed, green tea contains higher levels of antioxidants than black tea.
Although tea is consumed in a variety of ways and varies in its chemical makeup, one study showed steeping either green or black tea for about five minutes released over 80 percent of its catechins. Instant iced tea, on the other hand, contains negligible amounts of catechins (1).
3. What are the laboratory findings?
In the laboratory, studies have shown tea catechins act as powerful inhibitors of cancer growth in several ways: They scavenge oxidants before cell injuries occur, reduce the incidence and size of chemically induced tumors, and inhibit the growth of tumor cells. In studies of liver, skin and stomach cancer, chemically induced tumors were shown to decrease in size in mice that were fed green and black tea (1, 2).
4. What are the results of human studies?
Although tea has long been identified as an antioxidant in the laboratory, study results involving humans have been contradictory. Some epidemiological studies comparing tea drinkers to non-tea drinkers support the claim that drinking tea prevents cancer; others do not. Dietary, environmental, and population differences may account for these inconsistencies.
Two studies in China, where green tea is a mainstay of the diet, resulted in promising findings. One study involving over 18,000 men found tea drinkers were about half as likely to develop stomach or esophageal cancer as men who drank little tea, even after adjusting for smoking and other health and diet factors (3). A second study at the Beijing Dental Hospital found consuming 3 grams of tea a day, or about 2 cups, along with the application of a tea extract reduced the size and proliferation of leukoplakia, a precancerous oral plaque (1).
However, a study in the Netherlands did not support these findings. It investigated the link between black tea consumption and the subsequent risk of stomach, colorectal, lung, and breast cancers among 58,279 men and 62,573 women ages 55 to 69. The study took into account such factors as smoking and overall diet. It found no link between tea consumption and protection against cancer (4).
5. Is NCI evaluating tea?
National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers are also investigating the therapeutic use of green tea. One recently completed but unpublished NCI trial studied the antitumor effect of green tea among prostate cancer patients. The 42 patients drank 6 grams of green tea, or about 4 cups, daily for four months. However, only one patient experienced a short-lived improvement, and nearly 70 percent of the group experienced unpleasant side effects such as nausea and diarrhea. The study concluded drinking green tea has limited antitumor benefit for prostate cancer patients (5).
Other ongoing NCI studies are testing green tea as a preventive agent against skin cancer. For example, one is investigating the protective effects of a pill form of green tea against sun-induced skin damage while another explores the topical application of green tea in shrinking precancerous skin changes. For more information about NCI-sponsored studies on green tea, go to http://www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials/.
References: (1) Dufresne CJ, Farnworth ER. A review of latest research findings on the health promotion properties of tea. J. Nutri Biochem 2001; 12 (7): 404-421. (2) Hakim IA, Harris RB. Joint effects of citrus peel use and black tea intake on risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. BMC Derm 2001; 1 (3). (3) Sun CL, Yuan JM, Lee MJ, Yang CS, Gao YT, Ross RK, Yu MC. Urinary tea polyphenols in relation to gastric and esophageal cancers: a prospective study of men in shanghai, china. Carcin 2002; 23 (9): 1497-1503. (4) Goldbohm RA, Hertog MG, Brants HA, van Poppel G, van den Brandt PA. Consumption of black tea and cancer risk: a prospective cohort study. JNCI 1996; 88 2): 93-100. (5) Phase II Study of Green Tea Extract in Patients with Androgen-Independent Metastic Prostate Cancer. Protocol Ids: NCCTG-N9951. NCI Clinical Trials http://www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials/.
Antioxidants In Tea....
Antioxidants In Tea....
A growing body of research indicates that the tannins in tea are naturally-occurring flavonoids which have strong antioxidant properties. Drinking tea is a natural and pleasant way to increase dietary intake of antioxidants. There is mounting evidence that suggests that antioxidant-rich foods may play a role in reducing the risk of certain cancers, heart disease and stroke.
Researchers indicated that black and green tea have comparable health benefits and that adding milk to tea, does not inhibit the body's ability to benefit from the antioxidants in brewed tea.
About three times as many antioxidant polyphenois is found in white tea then green tea. White tea is simply dried in natural sunlight, "this preserves more of its antioxidant properties"Drinking white tea besides being more beneficial is that the pale amber liquid is a lot more palatable than green tea and doesn't have the same cabbagy smell.
Recent research exploring the potential health attributes of tea is leading many scientists to agree that tea, both black and green, may contribute positively to a healthy lifestyle. "Fruits, vegetables, and tea all contain important antioxidants. Research suggests these phytonutrients may contribute substantially to the promotion of health and the prevention of chronic disease. For example, recent research studies reveal the antioxidants in tea may inhibit the growth of cancer cells and support cardiovascular health," stated Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., F.A.C.N, Chief of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
Antioxidants
With all the medical jargon and new scientific studies bandied about on the news it can be hard to know what’s good for you from one day to the next. Are tomatoes good or bad? Should you drink red wine? Does chocolate cure heart disease? Will eating an all organic diet save you from cancer? It can all be a bit overwhelming and no one, not even scientists can seem to agree on much.
But one thing that scientists do agree on is that antioxidants are important to regulate and sustain normal cell processes. So what’s an antioxidant and how can you get what you need? Read on to find out!
What’s an antioxidant?
Antioxidants are substances that the body produces to fight the effects of free radicals. What’s a free radical, you may ask. Free radicals are not rioting miscreants or rampaging anarchists, they are reactive chemicals that get produced when molecules are split to create unpaired electrons and other external elements like UV rays, x- rays, pollution and radiation. Sounds pretty deep, huh? What that really means is free radical damage essential cellular molecules. Damage at the cellular level is never a good thing.
What are the benefits?
Antioxidants counteract the damage done by the free radicals to cells by regulating cellular processes and forming healthy bonds. Basically this means that they can repair the damage done by UV and x-rays as well as the pollution we’re all exposed to. Eating 5-7 servings each day can supply you with the antioxidants and other healthy minerals and nutrients needed to combat age-related diseases.
Where do I find them?
Good news! Antioxidants can be found in lots of places! Chances are that you already eat some every day. Found in leafy, dark green veggies like kale and spinach as well as in bright colorful vegetables like red and yellow peppers, carrots, blueberries, raspberries and in vitamin C and E.
But one thing that scientists do agree on is that antioxidants are important to regulate and sustain normal cell processes. So what’s an antioxidant and how can you get what you need? Read on to find out!
What’s an antioxidant?
Antioxidants are substances that the body produces to fight the effects of free radicals. What’s a free radical, you may ask. Free radicals are not rioting miscreants or rampaging anarchists, they are reactive chemicals that get produced when molecules are split to create unpaired electrons and other external elements like UV rays, x- rays, pollution and radiation. Sounds pretty deep, huh? What that really means is free radical damage essential cellular molecules. Damage at the cellular level is never a good thing.
What are the benefits?
Antioxidants counteract the damage done by the free radicals to cells by regulating cellular processes and forming healthy bonds. Basically this means that they can repair the damage done by UV and x-rays as well as the pollution we’re all exposed to. Eating 5-7 servings each day can supply you with the antioxidants and other healthy minerals and nutrients needed to combat age-related diseases.
Where do I find them?
Good news! Antioxidants can be found in lots of places! Chances are that you already eat some every day. Found in leafy, dark green veggies like kale and spinach as well as in bright colorful vegetables like red and yellow peppers, carrots, blueberries, raspberries and in vitamin C and E.
Can Drinking Green Tea Prevent Cancer?
Can Drinking Green Tea Prevent Cancer?
Tea has been regarded as an aid to good health for centuries, particularly in the Chinese and Indian cultures. In China, green tea is a mainstay of the diet. All varieties of tea are derived from the leaves of the evergreen plant Camellia sinensis. Tea leaves are picked, rolled, dried, and heated. An additional process of allowing the leaves to ferment and oxidize produces black tea. Green tea is produced when tea leaves undergo less processing than black tea. Tea contains antioxidants called catechins. Possibly because it is less processed, green tea contains higher levels of antioxidants or catechins than black tea. Steeping either green or black tea for about 5 minutes releases 80% of its antioxidant catechins. Instant ice tea, however, contains negligible amounts of these antioxidants (Dufresne & Farnworth, 2001).
The environment contains multiple sources of oxidizing agents called free radicals. Body cells also naturally produce free radicals. Free radicals or oxidants are unstable molecules which steal electrons from other molecules, damaging cell proteins and genetic material in the process. This type of damage leaves cells at risk for changes which can lead to cancer. Free radicals injure cell membranes and leave DNA vulnerable to damage. Tea antioxidants are very effective at scavenging free radicals before cell injury can occur. Tea antioxidants are also believed to target and repair DNA changes caused by the oxidizing free radicals. Laboratory studies show that tea antioxidants inhibit cancer growth in animals in three ways:
Scavenge free radicals.
Reduce the incidence and size of chemically induced tumors.
Inhibit growth of tumor cells.
Animal research has shown that liver, stomach, and skin cancer growth diminished in mice that were fed green and black tea (Hakim & Harris, 2001). However, human research studies show ambiguity. A substantial number of human intervention studies with green and black tea demonstrate a significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity 1 hour after consumption of moderate amounts of tea (1-6 cups/day) (Rietveld & Wiseman, 2003). In China, one study involving over 18,000 men found tea drinkers were about half as likely to develop stomach or esophageal cancer as men who drank little tea, even after adjusting for smoking and diet factors (Sun et al., 2002). However, an earlier study in the Netherlands did not have similar findings. A study of 58,000 men and 62,000 women ages 55 to 69 found no link between tea consumption and protection against cancer (Goldbohm, Hertog, Brants, van Poppel, & van den Brandt, 1996). Currently, green tea is under investigation for its beneficial effects in different types of cancer as well as in cardiovascular disease. There is no specific quantity of green tea which is known to confer health benefits. Studies have shown health benefits from drinking amounts of 1 to 6 cups of green tea daily, a very broad range. Investigators have focused on steeped hot tea rather than iced tea. In sum, green tea may have antioxidants which can benefit health, and no significant side effects have been reported.
Consumers should not confuse black or green tea with "dieter's teas" advertised for weight loss. Those products contain senna, aloe, rhubarb root, buckthorn, cascara, or castor oil additives. Dieter's teas can exert a potent diuretic and/or laxative effect on the body that can lead to serious adverse effects. Diarrhea, electrolyte disturbances, dehydration, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypotension can result from ingesting these teas. Dieter's teas are considered potentially harmful by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (National Cancer Institute, 2002).
Tea has been regarded as an aid to good health for centuries, particularly in the Chinese and Indian cultures. In China, green tea is a mainstay of the diet. All varieties of tea are derived from the leaves of the evergreen plant Camellia sinensis. Tea leaves are picked, rolled, dried, and heated. An additional process of allowing the leaves to ferment and oxidize produces black tea. Green tea is produced when tea leaves undergo less processing than black tea. Tea contains antioxidants called catechins. Possibly because it is less processed, green tea contains higher levels of antioxidants or catechins than black tea. Steeping either green or black tea for about 5 minutes releases 80% of its antioxidant catechins. Instant ice tea, however, contains negligible amounts of these antioxidants (Dufresne & Farnworth, 2001).
The environment contains multiple sources of oxidizing agents called free radicals. Body cells also naturally produce free radicals. Free radicals or oxidants are unstable molecules which steal electrons from other molecules, damaging cell proteins and genetic material in the process. This type of damage leaves cells at risk for changes which can lead to cancer. Free radicals injure cell membranes and leave DNA vulnerable to damage. Tea antioxidants are very effective at scavenging free radicals before cell injury can occur. Tea antioxidants are also believed to target and repair DNA changes caused by the oxidizing free radicals. Laboratory studies show that tea antioxidants inhibit cancer growth in animals in three ways:
Scavenge free radicals.
Reduce the incidence and size of chemically induced tumors.
Inhibit growth of tumor cells.
Animal research has shown that liver, stomach, and skin cancer growth diminished in mice that were fed green and black tea (Hakim & Harris, 2001). However, human research studies show ambiguity. A substantial number of human intervention studies with green and black tea demonstrate a significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity 1 hour after consumption of moderate amounts of tea (1-6 cups/day) (Rietveld & Wiseman, 2003). In China, one study involving over 18,000 men found tea drinkers were about half as likely to develop stomach or esophageal cancer as men who drank little tea, even after adjusting for smoking and diet factors (Sun et al., 2002). However, an earlier study in the Netherlands did not have similar findings. A study of 58,000 men and 62,000 women ages 55 to 69 found no link between tea consumption and protection against cancer (Goldbohm, Hertog, Brants, van Poppel, & van den Brandt, 1996). Currently, green tea is under investigation for its beneficial effects in different types of cancer as well as in cardiovascular disease. There is no specific quantity of green tea which is known to confer health benefits. Studies have shown health benefits from drinking amounts of 1 to 6 cups of green tea daily, a very broad range. Investigators have focused on steeped hot tea rather than iced tea. In sum, green tea may have antioxidants which can benefit health, and no significant side effects have been reported.
Consumers should not confuse black or green tea with "dieter's teas" advertised for weight loss. Those products contain senna, aloe, rhubarb root, buckthorn, cascara, or castor oil additives. Dieter's teas can exert a potent diuretic and/or laxative effect on the body that can lead to serious adverse effects. Diarrhea, electrolyte disturbances, dehydration, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypotension can result from ingesting these teas. Dieter's teas are considered potentially harmful by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (National Cancer Institute, 2002).
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Toddy Cold Brew System !!
The Today Show- Weekend Edition
NBC Television Network
January 21, 2006
The Toddy Cold Brew System was one of four winning coffeemakers - The Toddy, Cuisinart Grind & Brew, Bodum Santos Electric Vacuum, and the Melitta One - tested and selected by Cook's Illustrated for brewing 'the perfect pot of java' at home. Chris Kimball, Founder and Editor of Cook's Illustrated and contributing food editor to NBC's Today Show, appeared on The Today Show - Weekend Edition to share CI's results, and recommend The Toddy coffee maker for making a milder cup of java with less acidity - for both hot and iced coffee.KABC-TV (Los Angeles)
The Toddy Cold-Brew Coffee Maker
By Lori Corbin, Food Critic
October 4, 2004
(Excerpts from television broadcast feature)Say 'cold coffee,' and most say 'yuck,' unless it's an ice blended drink. But a little known brewing system that's been around for forty years, is now growing in popularity for making both hot and cold coffee. The Toddy Coffee Maker is a low tech, cold-brewing system that reduces both caffeine and acid through it's cold brewing process.
Take a pound of your favorite ground beans, fill with container cold water and let 'brew' overnight. In the morning, let the ‘brewed’ coffee drain through a special filter, and the result: a rich, satisfying coffee concentrate. Just add half to a third water or milk either hot or cold, depending on taste. In addition, The Toddy also can brew tea.
With 54 million Americans suffering from heartburn, this brewing system can help those who get an upset stomach from too much acid produced by coffee. Another bonus? No burnt, stale office coffee. Just store the coffee concentrate carafe in your refrigerator. It will keep fresh for up to two weeks.
The Toddy Coffee Maker sells for about $35. Found at Cost Plus Markets, Seattle's Best Coffee cafes, and many other coffee and gourmet kitchen stores, and on line at www.ToddyCafe.com. The Toddy Coffee Maker - a true food find.
Cappuccino - cold brew espresso coffee beans in your Toddy- course grind
- Steam 3 ounces of espresso concentrate (brewed from your Toddy) in a stainless pitcher until 185 degrees
- Pour espresso (steamed concentrate) into your cappuccino cup
- Froth 6 ounces of 2% milk (185) and quickly dump on top of espresso in cup
- Sprinkle with cinnamon
Latté - cold brew espresso coffee beans in your Toddy- course grind
- Steam 8 ounces of 2% milk (185 degrees) in a stainless pitcher
- Pour steamed milk into your cappuccino cup
- Steam 3 ounces of espresso concentrate (brewed from your Toddy Maker) in stainless pitcher until 185 degrees
- Pour steamed espresso in the middle of the steamed milk. Pour so that there is a little dot of espresso in the middle of the steamed milk. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Iced Cappuccino - cold brew your favorite coffee beans in your Toddy
- mix 2 ounces coffee concentrate with 6 ounces 2% milk
- add 1\8 teaspoon vanilla
- pour over ice and add sweetener to your liking
Toddy Frappé - cold brew your favorite coffee beans in your Toddy
- In a blender, add ½ cup coffee concentrate, and ½ cup 2% milk
- Then add 1/2 cup of ice, and 3 large scoops of vanilla ice cream
- Blend until smooth and pour into glass
- Top with whip cream and chocolate shaving.
Friday, February 23, 2007
New News on Green Tea: It May Protect Your Heart
In the June 2006 edition of the journal Carcinogenesis, researchers reported results from a cooperative study involving ten European countries1. The study was known as the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC). Vitamin C was measured in the blood in 215 patients who had abnormal growth of cells in their stomachs. Results were then compared to 416 match controls that didn't have abnormal cells. It was found that there was an inverse relationship to the risk developing these abnormal gastric cells and the level of vitamin C in the blood. Lead author of the study, Dr. Jenab, found that the effects of vitamin C were even more pronounced in red meat eaters. Vitamin C was believed to prevent nitrites (preservatives that are found in many meat products) from being turned into chemicals that can produce abnormal cells within the body.
There was another study just published in the August 2006 edition of the International Journal of Cardiology regarding vitamin C2. Researchers out of Japan studied whether vitamin C affected certain responses within the body to exercise in 21 men who suffered a heart attack at least month earlier. The participants underwent exercise testing on two occasions. The first time, they exercised two hours after an oral dose of two grams of ascorbic acid. The second time they exercised without supplemental vitamin C. Although there was no change in blood pressure or heart rate with or without ascorbic acid, researchers indicated that the heart rate response to peak exercise was significantly higher in men given ascorbic acid, which is an indication of better heart function. Dr. Kato, from the study, noted, "This data suggests an antioxidant vitamin, such as ascorbic acid, can affect a recovery of sympathetic dysfunction caused by injury to excessive oxidative stress and improve exercise intolerance."
There was a study published in the July-August 2006 edition of the journal Nutrition regarding healthy aging3. Authors noted that aging is associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which can lead to impairment of immune function, therefore increasing risk of death. Researchers supplemented diets of middle-aged, prematurely aging mice and non-prematurely aging mice for 15 weeks with vitamins C and E, zinc, selenium and beta carotene. White cells from the treated animals were then compared to a control group. It was found that white cell function improved in animals consuming antioxidants, which indicated there was improvement in immunity. Furthermore, after antioxidant supplementation, measures of oxidative stress were markedly decreased in both the prematurely aging and the normal animals. Not surprisingly, effects of the antioxidants were stronger in the prematurely aging animals compared to the normal animals. Researchers concluded that consumption of adequate levels of antioxidants may encourage healthy aging, especially in prematurely aging animals.
Along with aging comes the risk of being admitted to a nursing home. An interesting study was performed in the Netherlands and published in the September 2006 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition4. Researchers noted that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in nursing home patients was high. Their objective was to determine whether lower levels of vitamin D in the blood increase one's risk of future admission to a nursing home along with early death. Over 1,200 independent people over age 65 participated in what is known as the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. These individuals were followed for six years, or up to time of death, until April 2003. Of the participants, almost 47% were considered either vitamin D deficient or vitamin D insufficient when first entering the study. During follow up, 138 (11%) were admitted to nursing homes and 380 (30%) died. Amazingly, after adjustment for potential confounders, risk of admission to a nursing home was approximately 350% in the vitamin D deficient. For the vitamin D insufficient, risk of admission to a nursing home was approximately 275%. Even those with only borderline low levels of vitamin D had over 190% increased risk of admission compared to those with higher levels of vitamin D. Lower vitamin D levels were also associated with higher mortality risk, but the association wasn't considered significant after adjustment for frailty indicators. Researchers concluded that lower levels of vitamin D in older people was associated with a greater risk of future nursing home admission and may be associated with mortality.
Finally, there was another study regarding longevity published in the current edition (September 13, 2006) of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)5. Green tea consumption was studied over an 11-year period up to 2005. Researchers analyzed information on over 40,000 Japanese adults between ages 40 and 79 years old. After the 11-year study, 4,209 adults had died. Adults who drank the most green tea were least likely to die from cardiovascular disease, especially stroke. Men who consumed at least five cups of green tea each day were 12% less likely to die from any cause. Women who drank five cups or more of green tea each day were 23% less likely to die from any cause and 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular problems.
Vitamin C has been, and continues to be, a mainstay of adequate nutritional supplementation. The brilliant Linus Pauling, the only person to be awarded the Nobel Prize twice unshared, correctly pointed out the immune, cellular and cardiovascular benefits of several thousand mgs per day of vitamin C going back to the 1960s. He has been proven correct by numerous published studies over the last decade. Dr. Pauling lived to 93 while most of his peers lived only to 60 or 70 on average. Dr. Pauling consumed thousands of mgs of vitamin C daily for decades based on his research. Quite clearly the RDA of 60 mg will not provide optimal benefits; it will prevent scurvy but that is not our current health care crisis issue. Most adults should be consuming 500 mg to 2,000 mg a day of vitamin C. Vitacost offers a wide selection of various vitamin C products, including Ester-C®, a non-acidic, ascorbic acid product that is well-tolerated and generally maintains higher blood levels than ordinary ascorbic acid for a longer period of time. I also strongly recommend quercetin to be taken with vitamin C; they are very synergistic. Quercetin is found in apples and red wine and is a very powerful antioxidant.
Although consuming green tea has tremendous benefits, drinking five to eight cups a day may not be realistic for many people. NSI® offers standardized green tea extract capsules equivalent to several cups of green tea along with other potent antioxidant polyphenol nutrients. It is wonderful to know there are so many safe, inexpensive and natural ways to promote and protect your health proven by 21st century science.
There was another study just published in the August 2006 edition of the International Journal of Cardiology regarding vitamin C2. Researchers out of Japan studied whether vitamin C affected certain responses within the body to exercise in 21 men who suffered a heart attack at least month earlier. The participants underwent exercise testing on two occasions. The first time, they exercised two hours after an oral dose of two grams of ascorbic acid. The second time they exercised without supplemental vitamin C. Although there was no change in blood pressure or heart rate with or without ascorbic acid, researchers indicated that the heart rate response to peak exercise was significantly higher in men given ascorbic acid, which is an indication of better heart function. Dr. Kato, from the study, noted, "This data suggests an antioxidant vitamin, such as ascorbic acid, can affect a recovery of sympathetic dysfunction caused by injury to excessive oxidative stress and improve exercise intolerance."
There was a study published in the July-August 2006 edition of the journal Nutrition regarding healthy aging3. Authors noted that aging is associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which can lead to impairment of immune function, therefore increasing risk of death. Researchers supplemented diets of middle-aged, prematurely aging mice and non-prematurely aging mice for 15 weeks with vitamins C and E, zinc, selenium and beta carotene. White cells from the treated animals were then compared to a control group. It was found that white cell function improved in animals consuming antioxidants, which indicated there was improvement in immunity. Furthermore, after antioxidant supplementation, measures of oxidative stress were markedly decreased in both the prematurely aging and the normal animals. Not surprisingly, effects of the antioxidants were stronger in the prematurely aging animals compared to the normal animals. Researchers concluded that consumption of adequate levels of antioxidants may encourage healthy aging, especially in prematurely aging animals.
Along with aging comes the risk of being admitted to a nursing home. An interesting study was performed in the Netherlands and published in the September 2006 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition4. Researchers noted that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in nursing home patients was high. Their objective was to determine whether lower levels of vitamin D in the blood increase one's risk of future admission to a nursing home along with early death. Over 1,200 independent people over age 65 participated in what is known as the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. These individuals were followed for six years, or up to time of death, until April 2003. Of the participants, almost 47% were considered either vitamin D deficient or vitamin D insufficient when first entering the study. During follow up, 138 (11%) were admitted to nursing homes and 380 (30%) died. Amazingly, after adjustment for potential confounders, risk of admission to a nursing home was approximately 350% in the vitamin D deficient. For the vitamin D insufficient, risk of admission to a nursing home was approximately 275%. Even those with only borderline low levels of vitamin D had over 190% increased risk of admission compared to those with higher levels of vitamin D. Lower vitamin D levels were also associated with higher mortality risk, but the association wasn't considered significant after adjustment for frailty indicators. Researchers concluded that lower levels of vitamin D in older people was associated with a greater risk of future nursing home admission and may be associated with mortality.
Finally, there was another study regarding longevity published in the current edition (September 13, 2006) of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)5. Green tea consumption was studied over an 11-year period up to 2005. Researchers analyzed information on over 40,000 Japanese adults between ages 40 and 79 years old. After the 11-year study, 4,209 adults had died. Adults who drank the most green tea were least likely to die from cardiovascular disease, especially stroke. Men who consumed at least five cups of green tea each day were 12% less likely to die from any cause. Women who drank five cups or more of green tea each day were 23% less likely to die from any cause and 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular problems.
Vitamin C has been, and continues to be, a mainstay of adequate nutritional supplementation. The brilliant Linus Pauling, the only person to be awarded the Nobel Prize twice unshared, correctly pointed out the immune, cellular and cardiovascular benefits of several thousand mgs per day of vitamin C going back to the 1960s. He has been proven correct by numerous published studies over the last decade. Dr. Pauling lived to 93 while most of his peers lived only to 60 or 70 on average. Dr. Pauling consumed thousands of mgs of vitamin C daily for decades based on his research. Quite clearly the RDA of 60 mg will not provide optimal benefits; it will prevent scurvy but that is not our current health care crisis issue. Most adults should be consuming 500 mg to 2,000 mg a day of vitamin C. Vitacost offers a wide selection of various vitamin C products, including Ester-C®, a non-acidic, ascorbic acid product that is well-tolerated and generally maintains higher blood levels than ordinary ascorbic acid for a longer period of time. I also strongly recommend quercetin to be taken with vitamin C; they are very synergistic. Quercetin is found in apples and red wine and is a very powerful antioxidant.
Although consuming green tea has tremendous benefits, drinking five to eight cups a day may not be realistic for many people. NSI® offers standardized green tea extract capsules equivalent to several cups of green tea along with other potent antioxidant polyphenol nutrients. It is wonderful to know there are so many safe, inexpensive and natural ways to promote and protect your health proven by 21st century science.
Antioxidant Superstars Resveratrol & Green Tea Backed by National Cancer Institute
On the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Web site (which is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health) there are "Fact Sheets." On November 27, 2002, the NCI posted information about red wine and cancer prevention. They noted that polyphenols, found in the skin and seeds of grapes, have anti-oxidant properties, and research has shown they may inhibit development of certain cancers. They highlight, in particular, a component of red wine called resveratrol.
Resveratrol has been shown to reduce cancer incidence in animals by affecting one or more stages in cancer development. Cellular and animal studies of red wine have been analyzed in several cancers including leukemia, skin, breast and prostate. The NCI notes that resveratrol can reduce inflammation, which may be an effective chemo-preventative agent in three various stages of the cancer process, including initiation, promotion and even progression. They further report that studies published in the International Journal of Cancer showed that drinking a glass of red wine a day may reduce risk of developing prostate cancer by 50%, and that men who consumed four or more four-ounce glasses of red wine per week had a 60% lower incidence of the more aggressive types of prostate cancer.
NCI also posted in their "Fact Sheet" section on December 6, 2002, benefits of tea and cancer prevention. They explain that laboratory studies show certain compounds from tea, known as catechins, act as powerful inhibitors of cancer growth in several different ways. They note some epidemiologic studies in humans, comparing tea drinkers to non-tea drinkers. They indicate that in one study out of China, over 18, 000 male tea drinkers were about half as likely to develop stomach or esophageal cancer compared to men who drank little tea1. There was another study in the Netherlands, however, that didn't support these findings.
Since the information was posted on the NCI site, there have been numerous studies regarding the benefits of green tea. A study on green tea was just published on Dec. 20, 2006 in the medical journal Carcinogensis. This study, involving over 1,000 women, indicated that those who consumed green tea at 500 to 749 grams per year reduced their risk of breast cancer by an amazing 41%2. This would be a level of at least 1,500 mg per day. Researchers concluded long-term and regular consumption of green tea can reduce risk of breast cancer.
Truly amazing information from a federal medical agency that tends to promote drugs, radiation and surgery. Of course, you know from reading For Your Health that the above-noted nutrients can be extremely powerful agents. Interestingly, there was just a study out of Germany indicating that polyphenols from tea can have benefits blunted by adding milk. The study, which was reported online in the European Heart Journal, studied 16 healthy women volunteers over age 503. When the women drank half liter of tea, their arteries relaxed to a significant degree, much more than when they drank hot water or tea with milk. Researchers felt that the casein proteins in the milk may have the neutralizing effect on the tea polyphenols.
Make sure to choose a high-quality multi-vitamin with optimal combinations and levels of antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, standardized green tea, grape seed, lutein and many other important nutrients.
Resveratrol has been shown to reduce cancer incidence in animals by affecting one or more stages in cancer development. Cellular and animal studies of red wine have been analyzed in several cancers including leukemia, skin, breast and prostate. The NCI notes that resveratrol can reduce inflammation, which may be an effective chemo-preventative agent in three various stages of the cancer process, including initiation, promotion and even progression. They further report that studies published in the International Journal of Cancer showed that drinking a glass of red wine a day may reduce risk of developing prostate cancer by 50%, and that men who consumed four or more four-ounce glasses of red wine per week had a 60% lower incidence of the more aggressive types of prostate cancer.
NCI also posted in their "Fact Sheet" section on December 6, 2002, benefits of tea and cancer prevention. They explain that laboratory studies show certain compounds from tea, known as catechins, act as powerful inhibitors of cancer growth in several different ways. They note some epidemiologic studies in humans, comparing tea drinkers to non-tea drinkers. They indicate that in one study out of China, over 18, 000 male tea drinkers were about half as likely to develop stomach or esophageal cancer compared to men who drank little tea1. There was another study in the Netherlands, however, that didn't support these findings.
Since the information was posted on the NCI site, there have been numerous studies regarding the benefits of green tea. A study on green tea was just published on Dec. 20, 2006 in the medical journal Carcinogensis. This study, involving over 1,000 women, indicated that those who consumed green tea at 500 to 749 grams per year reduced their risk of breast cancer by an amazing 41%2. This would be a level of at least 1,500 mg per day. Researchers concluded long-term and regular consumption of green tea can reduce risk of breast cancer.
Truly amazing information from a federal medical agency that tends to promote drugs, radiation and surgery. Of course, you know from reading For Your Health that the above-noted nutrients can be extremely powerful agents. Interestingly, there was just a study out of Germany indicating that polyphenols from tea can have benefits blunted by adding milk. The study, which was reported online in the European Heart Journal, studied 16 healthy women volunteers over age 503. When the women drank half liter of tea, their arteries relaxed to a significant degree, much more than when they drank hot water or tea with milk. Researchers felt that the casein proteins in the milk may have the neutralizing effect on the tea polyphenols.
Make sure to choose a high-quality multi-vitamin with optimal combinations and levels of antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, standardized green tea, grape seed, lutein and many other important nutrients.
The Perfect Coffees PUR JAVA !
Plenty of health benefits are brewing in America's beloved beverage,coffee.
Want a drug that could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer? That could lift your mood and treat headaches? That could lower your risk of cavities?
If it sounds too good to be true, think again.
Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better.
Reducing Disease Risk
After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America's favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's by 30% over java avoiders.
Though the scientists give the customary "more research is needed" before they recommend you do overtime at Starbuck's to specifically prevent diabetes, their findings, reported just two weeks ago, are very similar to those in a less-publicized Dutch study last year. And perhaps more importantly, it's the latest of hundreds of studies suggesting that coffee may be something of a health food especially in higher amounts.
There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.
The Benefits of Caffeine
Is it the caffeine? The oodles of antioxidants in coffee beans, some of which become especially potent during the roasting process? Even other mysterious properties that warrant this intensive study?
Actually, yes.
Some of coffee's reported benefits are a direct result of its higher caffeine content: An eight ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee contains about 85 mg -- about three and a half times more than the same serving of tea or cola or one ounce of chocolate.
But you can get other others benefits from coffee that have nothing to do with caffeine. Coffee is loaded with antioxidants, including a group of compounds called quinines that when administered to lab rats, increases their insulin sensitivity. This increased sensitivity improves the body's response to insulin.
The bottom line: People who already drink a lot of coffee don't have to feel guilty as long as coffee does not affect their daily life. They may actually benefit from coffee habits in the long-run.
Coffee Parfait
This is a great dish to serve when you want to impress somebody. Just don't let on that it is so easy to make.
2 Tbs (30 ml) cornstarch (cornflour)
3/4 cup (180 ml) sugar
A pinch of salt
2 Tbs (30 ml) milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 Tablespoons PurJava Coffee
3/4 cup (180 ml) water
1 1/2 cup (375 ml) whipping cream Additional whipped cream for topping
Ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients except for the whipping cream in a saucepan and hold over another pot of simmering water. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back f a spoon. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. Whip the cream until it is light but not stiff and fold into the coffee mixture. Serve in parfait cups or stemmed wine glasses and top with additional whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon. Serves 4 to 6.
As the most potent chemical component in coffee or tea, we are all very aware of caffeine. Next time you're sitting around the coffee shop, enjoying a latte and perhaps talking about coffee in general, you can appear quite learned by tossing around these caffeine facts.
Coffee Trivia
In its pure state, caffeine is a crystalline white powder.
Caffeine can be found in 60 different plants.
10g of caffeine is considered a lethal dose.
It's the most popular drug in the world. Ninety percent of Americans
Over 450,000,000 cups of coffee are consumed in the USA every
Darkly roasted coffee has less caffeine than lightly roasted.
Contrary to popular belief, caffeine (or coffee) won't help someone
Want a drug that could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer? That could lift your mood and treat headaches? That could lower your risk of cavities?
If it sounds too good to be true, think again.
Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better.
Reducing Disease Risk
After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America's favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's by 30% over java avoiders.
Though the scientists give the customary "more research is needed" before they recommend you do overtime at Starbuck's to specifically prevent diabetes, their findings, reported just two weeks ago, are very similar to those in a less-publicized Dutch study last year. And perhaps more importantly, it's the latest of hundreds of studies suggesting that coffee may be something of a health food especially in higher amounts.
There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.
The Benefits of Caffeine
Is it the caffeine? The oodles of antioxidants in coffee beans, some of which become especially potent during the roasting process? Even other mysterious properties that warrant this intensive study?
Actually, yes.
Some of coffee's reported benefits are a direct result of its higher caffeine content: An eight ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee contains about 85 mg -- about three and a half times more than the same serving of tea or cola or one ounce of chocolate.
But you can get other others benefits from coffee that have nothing to do with caffeine. Coffee is loaded with antioxidants, including a group of compounds called quinines that when administered to lab rats, increases their insulin sensitivity. This increased sensitivity improves the body's response to insulin.
The bottom line: People who already drink a lot of coffee don't have to feel guilty as long as coffee does not affect their daily life. They may actually benefit from coffee habits in the long-run.
Coffee Parfait
This is a great dish to serve when you want to impress somebody. Just don't let on that it is so easy to make.
2 Tbs (30 ml) cornstarch (cornflour)
3/4 cup (180 ml) sugar
A pinch of salt
2 Tbs (30 ml) milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 Tablespoons PurJava Coffee
3/4 cup (180 ml) water
1 1/2 cup (375 ml) whipping cream Additional whipped cream for topping
Ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients except for the whipping cream in a saucepan and hold over another pot of simmering water. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back f a spoon. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. Whip the cream until it is light but not stiff and fold into the coffee mixture. Serve in parfait cups or stemmed wine glasses and top with additional whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon. Serves 4 to 6.
As the most potent chemical component in coffee or tea, we are all very aware of caffeine. Next time you're sitting around the coffee shop, enjoying a latte and perhaps talking about coffee in general, you can appear quite learned by tossing around these caffeine facts.
Coffee Trivia
Caffeine was first isolated from coffee in 1820
In its pure state, caffeine is a crystalline white powder.
Caffeine can be found in 60 different plants.
10g of caffeine is considered a lethal dose.
It's the most popular drug in the world. Ninety percent of Americans
consume it in some form every day.
Over 450,000,000 cups of coffee are consumed in the USA every
day.
Darkly roasted coffee has less caffeine than lightly roasted.
Contrary to popular belief, caffeine (or coffee) won't help someone
sober up if they have had too much to drink.
Coffee products for coffee lovers! Pur Java # 1
Pur Java - Every cup as fresh as the first! Smooth coffee that's easy to make for people on the move. Pur Java has 50% less caffeine, low acidity, and no bitterness. Pur Java's innovative products include JavaPOP, a coffee flavored popcorn and Pur Java chocolates, liquid coffee-filled chocolates.
SEE WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT , THIS GREAT NEW COFFE PURJAVA :
PurJava, liquid coffee concentrate - smooth, full-bodied
robust coffee for people on the move.
Decaffeinated Sumatra beans are processed over 48 hours
for a smooth subtle coffee flavor.
SEE WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT , THIS GREAT NEW COFFE PURJAVA :
PurJava, liquid coffee concentrate - smooth, full-bodied
robust coffee for people on the move.
PurJava is coldwater processed resulting in a coffee with less acidity and
bitterness.
bitterness.
Choose from Honduran Dark Roast or Sumatra Decaffeinated. Honduran coffee beans are airshippedand processed to ensure fresh coffee flavor.
Decaffeinated Sumatra beans are processed over 48 hours
for a smooth subtle coffee flavor.
A Cup of Green Tea Per Day May Help Keep Skin Cancer Away
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and it is estimated that more than 1 million cases of basal and squamous cell cancer will be diagnosed this year according to the Centers for Disease Control.
While avoiding prolonged sun exposure, the regular and proper use of sunscreen, and regular examinations by a board-certified dermatologist are the main actions for preventing skin cancer, green tea may help as well.
“Green tea is reported to have antibacterial, antioxidant, and antitumor properties,” says Lawrence Osman, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist practicing in Los Angeles. Polyphenolic antioxidants are derived from the extracts of green tea. Also, the most widely studied component of green tea, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, may work by inhibiting ultraviolet induced DNA damage. Inhibiting ultraviolet induced DNA damage may be important because many cases of skin cancer are directly related to ultraviolet exposure from the sun or tanning beds.
The constituents of green tea have already proven effective in helping to prevent skin cancer in the lab. Accordingly, drinking green tea, in addition to avoiding prolonged sun exposure, the regular and proper use of sunscreen, and regular examinations by a board-certified dermatologist, may help prevent skin cancer in life.
While avoiding prolonged sun exposure, the regular and proper use of sunscreen, and regular examinations by a board-certified dermatologist are the main actions for preventing skin cancer, green tea may help as well.
“Green tea is reported to have antibacterial, antioxidant, and antitumor properties,” says Lawrence Osman, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist practicing in Los Angeles. Polyphenolic antioxidants are derived from the extracts of green tea. Also, the most widely studied component of green tea, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, may work by inhibiting ultraviolet induced DNA damage. Inhibiting ultraviolet induced DNA damage may be important because many cases of skin cancer are directly related to ultraviolet exposure from the sun or tanning beds.
The constituents of green tea have already proven effective in helping to prevent skin cancer in the lab. Accordingly, drinking green tea, in addition to avoiding prolonged sun exposure, the regular and proper use of sunscreen, and regular examinations by a board-certified dermatologist, may help prevent skin cancer in life.
PURJAVA HONDURAN DARK ROAST " THE COFFEE OF ALL COFFEES "
PurJava was developed from a search for coffee that had great coffee taste without the bitterness and acidity of regular brewed coffee. Coffee beans are obtained from growers and then shipped by air to ensure freshness.
PurJava concentrate is produced using a cold water process for a pure coffee taste. Water is filtered and then purified in a way that extracts the maximum amount of pure coffee flavor.
The concentrate produced using PurJava's proprietary process results in the smoothest concentrate available. The final step is pasteurization of the concentrate to ensure excellent flavor with an extended shelf-life.
PurJava is the smoothest coffee you've ever had with less than half the caffeine of regular brewed coffee.
PurJava Recipes:
Iced Mocha
3 Tablespoons PurJava coffee concentrate
2/3 cup cold water
1/3 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon sugar
Mix well, pour over ice. Makes 1 8 oz. serving
PurJava Latte
1 ounce of PurJava coffee concentrate
3 ounces of waterHeat
PurJava and water mixture
Heat 3 ounces of milk and froth
Add frothed milk into PurJava water mixture
Chocolate Covered Cherry Coffee
1 teaspoon chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon cherry syrup
1/2 Tablespoon PurJava coffee concentrate
8 ounces hot water
One 8 oz. bottle of PurJava Honduran Dark Roast makes 32 (8 oz.) cups of coffee.
You want the best you got the best the hotes coffee around PURJAVA !
PurJava concentrate is produced using a cold water process for a pure coffee taste. Water is filtered and then purified in a way that extracts the maximum amount of pure coffee flavor.
The concentrate produced using PurJava's proprietary process results in the smoothest concentrate available. The final step is pasteurization of the concentrate to ensure excellent flavor with an extended shelf-life.
PurJava is the smoothest coffee you've ever had with less than half the caffeine of regular brewed coffee.
PurJava Recipes:
Iced Mocha
3 Tablespoons PurJava coffee concentrate
2/3 cup cold water
1/3 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon sugar
Mix well, pour over ice. Makes 1 8 oz. serving
PurJava Latte
1 ounce of PurJava coffee concentrate
3 ounces of waterHeat
PurJava and water mixture
Heat 3 ounces of milk and froth
Add frothed milk into PurJava water mixture
Chocolate Covered Cherry Coffee
1 teaspoon chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon cherry syrup
1/2 Tablespoon PurJava coffee concentrate
8 ounces hot water
One 8 oz. bottle of PurJava Honduran Dark Roast makes 32 (8 oz.) cups of coffee.
You want the best you got the best the hotes coffee around PURJAVA !
Vitamin warning! Some nutritional supplements use hydrogenated oils as filler
The next time you buy soft-gel vitamins, you'd better take a look at what's inside them. Would you be surprised if I told you that vitamin companies are taking one of the most toxic food ingredients known to mankind and putting it in soft gels as a filler? It's absolutely true. You can find it in vitamins and supplements in health food stores, grocery stores, price discount warehouse clubs, retailers and pharmacies all over the country and around the world right now. What toxic ingredient am I referring to? Partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
Today, anyone who follows nutrition knows that hydrogenated oils are extremely toxic. We know that, long-term, they will lead to cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. They can even encourage strokes. We know that they cause harm, sometimes irreparable, to the nervous system. We know that they interfere with the absorption of the essential fatty acids you need to maintain healthy cells, a healthy nervous system, healthy blood sugar regulation and many other functions.
Big Pharma manufactures vitamins, too And yet, vitamin companies – the cheap ones – are taking this ingredient and putting it in soft gels as filler. And that's not the only ingredient they're putting in, either. Some vitamin companies are taking artificial colors – that's right, chemicals extracted from coal tar – and putting them in not only soft gels but in tablets and capsules, too.
Now, why on earth would a vitamin company do this? The answer is because some of these companies aren't at all interested in health. In fact, the dirty little secret of the nutritional supplements industry is that many of these companies are wholly or partially owned by pharmaceutical companies, so these vitamin manufacturers think they can standardize, process and manufacture vitamins in the same way they manufacture prescription drugs (which is an entirely unnatural process, by the way).
When companies manufacture prescription drugs, they really don't care what goes into them as long as the active ingredient is there. Prescription drugs, in addition to containing highly toxic chemicals that are supposed to be medicinal, also contain highly toxic fillers, colors and other additives that sometimes even counteract the intended effect of the drug. When those pharmaceutical companies decide to branch out into nutritional supplements because it's a hot industry, they, of course, carry over these same manufacturing practices to nutritional supplements. This is why you don't want to get your supplements from these mega corporations that are actually owned by Big Pharma. It's better to get something from smaller, more passionate companies.
I don't necessarily mean "mom-and-pop" shops, but I mean companies that are solely focused on health, even if they do happen to be commercially successful. Companies like New Chapter, Nature's Way, Now Foods, Garden of Life or Jay Robb Enterprises (which has outstanding whey protein, soy protein and egg protein products). These are a few of the many companies that seem to really care about health and they avoid using toxic ingredients, whereas many other supplement companies don't care at all what they put in there, as long as they can claim something on the label.
What you see is not always what you get When you're buying a soft gel capsule, you would normally think that what goes inside that soft gel is what's stated on the label. It makes sense, right? So if the label on that vitamin bottle says "salmon oil," and you take out a soft gel and look at it, you would think it's filled with salmon oil, right? This is what most people think. This is common sense. But in fact, it is incorrect.
You might be amazed to learn this, but that soft gel may not be filled with salmon oil at all; it may have a miniscule amount of salmon oil in it, but the rest of it is just filler. It could be soybean oil, hydrogenated oils or some other form of filler. It could be something that's actually dangerous to your health, so you'd better read the ingredients labels on those vitamins, minerals and supplements, in addition to reading the ingredients labels on foods, as I've always recommended. Watch out! Just because you buy something that looks good on the label – something that claims to have flax oil, salmon oil or vitamin B in it – it doesn't mean it's actually good for you.
How to put a negative spin on healthy vitamins: Use cheap vitamins to skew resultsNow, of course, researchers have also figured all this out. If I'm a researcher in organized medicine and my mission is to discredit vitamins, these are the vitamins I buy and use in my research. If I wanted to ensure that I had a study saying vitamin E causes an increase in heart attacks, you know how I would do it? I would buy vitamin E soft-gel products that have hydrogenated soybean oil as filler, so that I could be absolutely sure that this study would come out showing an increase of heart attacks. Then, I could write a headline that says, "Vitamin E Kills People!"
Following that study, if I were associated with the right school or university or the right medical group, I could send out a press release to all the newspapers around the country or around the world and they would blindly print that headline. People would be all over TV and radio talking about how vitamin E kills you.
How do I accomplish that? I just choose a soft gel container with hydrogenated oils as the toxic filler ingredients because I, as an evil researcher, know that these journalists are not going to ask questions. No one's going to look at this study and see what the other filler ingredients were. No one's going to do anything other than reprint whatever I fax them. Why? Because I'm associated with a medical school or a university, that's why. That's how it works out there. That's the real world of nutritional supplements "research."
Of course, none of that has anything to do with reality because, in the real world, vitamin E is extremely healthy. It's very good for you, even in higher doses than most people take, and it's found naturally in nuts and seeds. Salmon oil is also very good for your health in many ways; not just your heart health, but also for your nervous system health, for stabilizing blood sugar and for providing nutrition and lubrication to some of the cells, organs and tissues in your body.
There are so many healthy products out there. It's just a shame when these companies take healthy oils, vitamins and minerals and package them in unhealthy containers. They package them in tablets, capsules and soft gels that have other ingredients that will actually harm you if you take them with enough frequency and duration.
Take your healthy vitamins correctly to see results This is why I have consistently recommended that you get your nutrition from eating whole foods, superfoods or nutritional supplements made from whole food concentrates. Of course, there are some nutrients that you can't get that way, like cod liver oil and salmon oil, but there are companies out there that really care about the quality of their oils and aren't going to give you garbage. In terms of cod liver oils, one of my top recommendations is Nordic Naturals. They will give you a quality product without a bunch of harmful fillers.
The truth about calcium supplementsIn terms of calcium supplements, I know that calcium is one of the most common supplements out there and researchers have managed to finagle a study that even shows calcium supplements aren't useful for boosting the bone density of elderly patients. People are being told that calcium is absolutely worthless if you don't digest it and absorb it. So how do you do that?
Well, you certainly don't take it with an antacid. That's a ridiculous way to get calcium. Calcium needs to have an acidic environment in order to be broken down and assimilated by your digestive system. If you don't have acid in your stomach, then you can't absorb the calcium. And if you don't have vitamin D in your small intestine, you can't absorb the calcium, either. There are a lot of senior citizens out there who are spending small fortunes on calcium supplements and antacid tablets, but they're not getting any sunshine. And that means they're not getting enough vitamin D. With a vitamin D deficiency, they can't even absorb the calcium. It's either going right through their bodies or actually contributing to the buildup of calcification in their kidneys. So guess what? They'll probably end up with kidney stones.
When I was at a discount warehouse club recently, I was looking at all these supplements – calcium, vitamin D, flax oil, cod liver oil and so on – and reading the ingredient labels, and I could only find one product that I would personally consume. Only one! I saw people buying these vitamins by the basket-load, thinking they were doing themselves some good. The only one I found that didn't have any artificial ingredients or other garbage in it was organic flax oil. Every other product offered was garbage, in my view. Nutritionally, it was a disaster. I wouldn't feed those supplements to any person or animal that I cared about.
So there you go. This is the nutritional supplement industry that a lot of people see. I know that these particular supplements are from the same manufacturers that you find making low-cost vitamins sold at grocery stores and pharmacies. It's no wonder that some people have such a dim view of the nutritional supplements industry. They take these products and they feel worse.
Well, no wonder; you've just consumed toxic ingredients – not what was in the label, but what was listed in the fine print of the ingredients section. No wonder you feel worse; you're just eating hydrogenated oils. You're actually taking them as a supplement. What a foolish thing to do, but people do it every single day in this country.
Lawmakers deserve a lot of blame and shame for allowing this to go on, in my view. The fact that food manufacturers and vitamin supplement manufacturers can put highly toxic, death-promoting, disease-causing ingredients into your foods, products and supplements and sell them to you without warning labels is absolutely unconscionable. It's near criminal that they allow this to happen.
Failing to warn consumers about toxic vitamin fillers should be a crimeLawmakers have been asleep at the wheel. They've allowed food companies to run the system. They've allowed drug companies and nutritional supplement manufacturers to steamroll any attempt to protect the public, and that's why all these dangerous, toxic, disease-promoting ingredients are still perfectly legal.
The FDA seemingly continues to actually support these ingredients. They haven't done enough to try to outlaw them. It seems that from the FDA's point of view, getting tough means sending a wimpy warning letter that says, "Oh, by the way, your ads are misleading people." To them, it means requiring trans fats to be listed on foods. Never mind actually outlawing the ingredient.
In my opinion, the FDA should ban these ingredients. They should be outlawed. It should be a crime to put a toxic substance into a food product and sell it to a consumer. Shouldn't that be a crime? I mean, if the world made sense, it would be a crime, especially now that we know these ingredients promote disease. It's not even debatable anymore. Heck, even the FDA finally has admitted it and is requiring labels – warning labels, in a sense – that say, "Here's how many grams of trans fat you have in this food." That's a warning label, folks. There is no nutritionist or doctor in his or her right mind who would argue that these ingredients are safe for long-term human consumption.
Yet every single day, we have consumers going into these discount club warehouse stores, pharmacies, grocery stores and even health food stores, buying these dangerous products, taking them home, consuming them and thinking that they are doing themselves some good. In fact, they are actually harming themselves. When I see this situation, I genuinely fear for the future of this nation; I really do. I'm not sure if we can ever get above water again, if we can ever overpower the financial interests of big business that have allowed this to happen (and have in fact lobbied for and defended it). It's possible that we're going to spiral out of control into a health collapse, where everybody is diseased from the moment they're born, nutrition is nonexistent and everyone is financially beholden to this system of pharmaceutical companies, doctors, hospitals and diagnostic labs because they've been labeled with various diseases that could have been solved or prevented by changing the food supply and outlawing dangerous ingredients.
You want to know the funny part in all of this? Everything I've been talking to you about, everything that I'm outraged about in this particular commentary, was found in the "healthy" section of this particular retailer. This was the health section, folks. This was the stuff that's supposed to be good for you. The rest of that store was just outright garbage – products loaded with sugars and artificial colors, hydrogenated oils, high sodium, tons of preservatives (literally, tons of preservatives), sodium nitrate – just all kinds of unhealthy ingredients from top to bottom, stacked as high and as far as the eye can see in this warehouse retailer.
Spread the word: Your neighbors' vitamins could be toxicI believe we each have to do our part and stand up and speak the truth. That's what I'm trying to do here. I'm telling everyone I meet and everyone I know, "You've been conned. You've been scammed by the system, by a bunch of manufacturers, a whole lot of big business and a good dose of government corruption thrown in to protect the system and make sure you never find out what is going on. You've been scammed."
The only way to beat the scam is to get outside the system – get outside of conventional medicine, give up all these processed foods and move over to a healthy lifestyle where you actually have cognitive function and where you have mental awareness because you're eating well. You're eating real food, not that processed, manufactured garbage that passes for food in most peoples' homes in the United States and everywhere around the world.
So if you have a friend or a family member who doesn't know about this, and you'd like to either help them or annoy them (your pick), tell them what's really in their vitamins. Show them: Pick up that vitamin bottle out of their cabinet, refrigerator, purse or wherever they happen to have it and point out that artificial color, that FD&C Red No. 2, yellow dye or whatever it happens to be in that particular vitamin. Point it out to them; show them the hydrogenated oils in these vitamins. Point out the sucrose, the corn syrup, propylene glycol or whatever else happens to be in there. Show them what they're really consuming and then give them a better choice. Introduce them to a health food store in your local community that sells some quality products. Encourage them to go there if they really want to take care of their health.
It's funny that people complain about how much money it costs to buy nutritional supplements. Then, they go out and spend a few dollars on vitamins that will actually make them sick. They think they're getting a bargain. I say that you might as well spend your money on cigarettes, you know? You might as well eat some fried chicken. If you're going to spend $6 on a bottle of vitamins that are bad for you, then skip the whole thing and just go eat some hamburgers at the local fast food restaurant or some cookies from the grocery store. Of course, I don't recommend that anyone do any of that. I recommend you spend your money wisely on nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, and herbs from passionate, honest companies you can trust.
Of course, they're going to be slightly more expensive, if not a lot more expensive. But aren't you worth it? If you're going through the trouble of taking these supplements, shouldn't you put the best thing you can find into your body? Don't you deserve healthy supplements, rather than supplements packaged with hydrogenated oils and other poisons that are legalized by our system of corrupt government and private industry? Shouldn't you deserve the very best? I think so. Get the best and put that in your body. Be healthy. Thanks for reading. This is Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, for Truth Publishing.
If your looking for great nutritional supplements then you need to try :
Related articles:
Acomplia drug hype reveals mythology of prescription drugs, shortcut philosophy of American culturePublished January 4 2005A new weight loss drug, Acomplia, is all the rage, even though it hasn’t yet been approved! People are talking about the drug with such a degree of excitement that weight loss centers say virtually...
Acomplia weight loss drug launches in UKPublished June 29 2006(NewsTarget) -- Sanofi Aventis launches its weight loss drug Acomplia today in the UK. The once-a-day pill was shown to help 40 percent of obese participants lose 10 percent of their body weight in...
Experimental diet drug Acomplia kept weight off for two or more years in early trialsPublished March 16 2005Tests of the new diet drug Acomplia show that users lost 10 percent or more of their body weight and kept that weight off for two years. The drug impedes the sensation of hunger by suppressing the...
Is Acomplia weight loss drug a threat to health clubs?Published January 4 2005Here's another article that promotes the hype and mythology of Acomplia, an upcoming weight loss drug that still remains entirely unproven. Amazingly, even the fitness industry seems concerned about...
Weight loss, anti-smoking drug Acomplia could be on the market by 2006Published January 25 2005One-stop shopping fans take note: a new pill that claims to help people stop smoking and lose weight at the same time is in its final stages of testing. It could be on the market by 2006. The new drug...
Acomplia hype spreads, granting the drug a "miracle cure" statusPublished January 18 2005A so-called miracle drug promises to help people quit smoking, lose weight, and cut their alcohol consumption. It’s called Acomplia, and it is even being heralded as a possible treatment for...
Maker of Acomplia claims it kills the urge for food and cigarettesPublished February 26 2006Philly.com takes a look at Sanofi-Aventis' Acomplia, also known as rimonabant, which reportedly reduces people's cravings for food and...
Acomplia diet drug shows real promise for sustained weight loss, but only if you keep taking itPublished November 9 2004In early clinical trials, Acomplia is looking promising. But with only 3,000+ people tested so far, it's far from being approved by the FDA. And even as effective as Acomplia appears to be in early...
Today, anyone who follows nutrition knows that hydrogenated oils are extremely toxic. We know that, long-term, they will lead to cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. They can even encourage strokes. We know that they cause harm, sometimes irreparable, to the nervous system. We know that they interfere with the absorption of the essential fatty acids you need to maintain healthy cells, a healthy nervous system, healthy blood sugar regulation and many other functions.
Big Pharma manufactures vitamins, too And yet, vitamin companies – the cheap ones – are taking this ingredient and putting it in soft gels as filler. And that's not the only ingredient they're putting in, either. Some vitamin companies are taking artificial colors – that's right, chemicals extracted from coal tar – and putting them in not only soft gels but in tablets and capsules, too.
Now, why on earth would a vitamin company do this? The answer is because some of these companies aren't at all interested in health. In fact, the dirty little secret of the nutritional supplements industry is that many of these companies are wholly or partially owned by pharmaceutical companies, so these vitamin manufacturers think they can standardize, process and manufacture vitamins in the same way they manufacture prescription drugs (which is an entirely unnatural process, by the way).
When companies manufacture prescription drugs, they really don't care what goes into them as long as the active ingredient is there. Prescription drugs, in addition to containing highly toxic chemicals that are supposed to be medicinal, also contain highly toxic fillers, colors and other additives that sometimes even counteract the intended effect of the drug. When those pharmaceutical companies decide to branch out into nutritional supplements because it's a hot industry, they, of course, carry over these same manufacturing practices to nutritional supplements. This is why you don't want to get your supplements from these mega corporations that are actually owned by Big Pharma. It's better to get something from smaller, more passionate companies.
I don't necessarily mean "mom-and-pop" shops, but I mean companies that are solely focused on health, even if they do happen to be commercially successful. Companies like New Chapter, Nature's Way, Now Foods, Garden of Life or Jay Robb Enterprises (which has outstanding whey protein, soy protein and egg protein products). These are a few of the many companies that seem to really care about health and they avoid using toxic ingredients, whereas many other supplement companies don't care at all what they put in there, as long as they can claim something on the label.
What you see is not always what you get When you're buying a soft gel capsule, you would normally think that what goes inside that soft gel is what's stated on the label. It makes sense, right? So if the label on that vitamin bottle says "salmon oil," and you take out a soft gel and look at it, you would think it's filled with salmon oil, right? This is what most people think. This is common sense. But in fact, it is incorrect.
You might be amazed to learn this, but that soft gel may not be filled with salmon oil at all; it may have a miniscule amount of salmon oil in it, but the rest of it is just filler. It could be soybean oil, hydrogenated oils or some other form of filler. It could be something that's actually dangerous to your health, so you'd better read the ingredients labels on those vitamins, minerals and supplements, in addition to reading the ingredients labels on foods, as I've always recommended. Watch out! Just because you buy something that looks good on the label – something that claims to have flax oil, salmon oil or vitamin B in it – it doesn't mean it's actually good for you.
How to put a negative spin on healthy vitamins: Use cheap vitamins to skew resultsNow, of course, researchers have also figured all this out. If I'm a researcher in organized medicine and my mission is to discredit vitamins, these are the vitamins I buy and use in my research. If I wanted to ensure that I had a study saying vitamin E causes an increase in heart attacks, you know how I would do it? I would buy vitamin E soft-gel products that have hydrogenated soybean oil as filler, so that I could be absolutely sure that this study would come out showing an increase of heart attacks. Then, I could write a headline that says, "Vitamin E Kills People!"
Following that study, if I were associated with the right school or university or the right medical group, I could send out a press release to all the newspapers around the country or around the world and they would blindly print that headline. People would be all over TV and radio talking about how vitamin E kills you.
How do I accomplish that? I just choose a soft gel container with hydrogenated oils as the toxic filler ingredients because I, as an evil researcher, know that these journalists are not going to ask questions. No one's going to look at this study and see what the other filler ingredients were. No one's going to do anything other than reprint whatever I fax them. Why? Because I'm associated with a medical school or a university, that's why. That's how it works out there. That's the real world of nutritional supplements "research."
Of course, none of that has anything to do with reality because, in the real world, vitamin E is extremely healthy. It's very good for you, even in higher doses than most people take, and it's found naturally in nuts and seeds. Salmon oil is also very good for your health in many ways; not just your heart health, but also for your nervous system health, for stabilizing blood sugar and for providing nutrition and lubrication to some of the cells, organs and tissues in your body.
There are so many healthy products out there. It's just a shame when these companies take healthy oils, vitamins and minerals and package them in unhealthy containers. They package them in tablets, capsules and soft gels that have other ingredients that will actually harm you if you take them with enough frequency and duration.
Take your healthy vitamins correctly to see results This is why I have consistently recommended that you get your nutrition from eating whole foods, superfoods or nutritional supplements made from whole food concentrates. Of course, there are some nutrients that you can't get that way, like cod liver oil and salmon oil, but there are companies out there that really care about the quality of their oils and aren't going to give you garbage. In terms of cod liver oils, one of my top recommendations is Nordic Naturals. They will give you a quality product without a bunch of harmful fillers.
The truth about calcium supplementsIn terms of calcium supplements, I know that calcium is one of the most common supplements out there and researchers have managed to finagle a study that even shows calcium supplements aren't useful for boosting the bone density of elderly patients. People are being told that calcium is absolutely worthless if you don't digest it and absorb it. So how do you do that?
Well, you certainly don't take it with an antacid. That's a ridiculous way to get calcium. Calcium needs to have an acidic environment in order to be broken down and assimilated by your digestive system. If you don't have acid in your stomach, then you can't absorb the calcium. And if you don't have vitamin D in your small intestine, you can't absorb the calcium, either. There are a lot of senior citizens out there who are spending small fortunes on calcium supplements and antacid tablets, but they're not getting any sunshine. And that means they're not getting enough vitamin D. With a vitamin D deficiency, they can't even absorb the calcium. It's either going right through their bodies or actually contributing to the buildup of calcification in their kidneys. So guess what? They'll probably end up with kidney stones.
When I was at a discount warehouse club recently, I was looking at all these supplements – calcium, vitamin D, flax oil, cod liver oil and so on – and reading the ingredient labels, and I could only find one product that I would personally consume. Only one! I saw people buying these vitamins by the basket-load, thinking they were doing themselves some good. The only one I found that didn't have any artificial ingredients or other garbage in it was organic flax oil. Every other product offered was garbage, in my view. Nutritionally, it was a disaster. I wouldn't feed those supplements to any person or animal that I cared about.
So there you go. This is the nutritional supplement industry that a lot of people see. I know that these particular supplements are from the same manufacturers that you find making low-cost vitamins sold at grocery stores and pharmacies. It's no wonder that some people have such a dim view of the nutritional supplements industry. They take these products and they feel worse.
Well, no wonder; you've just consumed toxic ingredients – not what was in the label, but what was listed in the fine print of the ingredients section. No wonder you feel worse; you're just eating hydrogenated oils. You're actually taking them as a supplement. What a foolish thing to do, but people do it every single day in this country.
Lawmakers deserve a lot of blame and shame for allowing this to go on, in my view. The fact that food manufacturers and vitamin supplement manufacturers can put highly toxic, death-promoting, disease-causing ingredients into your foods, products and supplements and sell them to you without warning labels is absolutely unconscionable. It's near criminal that they allow this to happen.
Failing to warn consumers about toxic vitamin fillers should be a crimeLawmakers have been asleep at the wheel. They've allowed food companies to run the system. They've allowed drug companies and nutritional supplement manufacturers to steamroll any attempt to protect the public, and that's why all these dangerous, toxic, disease-promoting ingredients are still perfectly legal.
The FDA seemingly continues to actually support these ingredients. They haven't done enough to try to outlaw them. It seems that from the FDA's point of view, getting tough means sending a wimpy warning letter that says, "Oh, by the way, your ads are misleading people." To them, it means requiring trans fats to be listed on foods. Never mind actually outlawing the ingredient.
In my opinion, the FDA should ban these ingredients. They should be outlawed. It should be a crime to put a toxic substance into a food product and sell it to a consumer. Shouldn't that be a crime? I mean, if the world made sense, it would be a crime, especially now that we know these ingredients promote disease. It's not even debatable anymore. Heck, even the FDA finally has admitted it and is requiring labels – warning labels, in a sense – that say, "Here's how many grams of trans fat you have in this food." That's a warning label, folks. There is no nutritionist or doctor in his or her right mind who would argue that these ingredients are safe for long-term human consumption.
Yet every single day, we have consumers going into these discount club warehouse stores, pharmacies, grocery stores and even health food stores, buying these dangerous products, taking them home, consuming them and thinking that they are doing themselves some good. In fact, they are actually harming themselves. When I see this situation, I genuinely fear for the future of this nation; I really do. I'm not sure if we can ever get above water again, if we can ever overpower the financial interests of big business that have allowed this to happen (and have in fact lobbied for and defended it). It's possible that we're going to spiral out of control into a health collapse, where everybody is diseased from the moment they're born, nutrition is nonexistent and everyone is financially beholden to this system of pharmaceutical companies, doctors, hospitals and diagnostic labs because they've been labeled with various diseases that could have been solved or prevented by changing the food supply and outlawing dangerous ingredients.
You want to know the funny part in all of this? Everything I've been talking to you about, everything that I'm outraged about in this particular commentary, was found in the "healthy" section of this particular retailer. This was the health section, folks. This was the stuff that's supposed to be good for you. The rest of that store was just outright garbage – products loaded with sugars and artificial colors, hydrogenated oils, high sodium, tons of preservatives (literally, tons of preservatives), sodium nitrate – just all kinds of unhealthy ingredients from top to bottom, stacked as high and as far as the eye can see in this warehouse retailer.
Spread the word: Your neighbors' vitamins could be toxicI believe we each have to do our part and stand up and speak the truth. That's what I'm trying to do here. I'm telling everyone I meet and everyone I know, "You've been conned. You've been scammed by the system, by a bunch of manufacturers, a whole lot of big business and a good dose of government corruption thrown in to protect the system and make sure you never find out what is going on. You've been scammed."
The only way to beat the scam is to get outside the system – get outside of conventional medicine, give up all these processed foods and move over to a healthy lifestyle where you actually have cognitive function and where you have mental awareness because you're eating well. You're eating real food, not that processed, manufactured garbage that passes for food in most peoples' homes in the United States and everywhere around the world.
So if you have a friend or a family member who doesn't know about this, and you'd like to either help them or annoy them (your pick), tell them what's really in their vitamins. Show them: Pick up that vitamin bottle out of their cabinet, refrigerator, purse or wherever they happen to have it and point out that artificial color, that FD&C Red No. 2, yellow dye or whatever it happens to be in that particular vitamin. Point it out to them; show them the hydrogenated oils in these vitamins. Point out the sucrose, the corn syrup, propylene glycol or whatever else happens to be in there. Show them what they're really consuming and then give them a better choice. Introduce them to a health food store in your local community that sells some quality products. Encourage them to go there if they really want to take care of their health.
It's funny that people complain about how much money it costs to buy nutritional supplements. Then, they go out and spend a few dollars on vitamins that will actually make them sick. They think they're getting a bargain. I say that you might as well spend your money on cigarettes, you know? You might as well eat some fried chicken. If you're going to spend $6 on a bottle of vitamins that are bad for you, then skip the whole thing and just go eat some hamburgers at the local fast food restaurant or some cookies from the grocery store. Of course, I don't recommend that anyone do any of that. I recommend you spend your money wisely on nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals, and herbs from passionate, honest companies you can trust.
Of course, they're going to be slightly more expensive, if not a lot more expensive. But aren't you worth it? If you're going through the trouble of taking these supplements, shouldn't you put the best thing you can find into your body? Don't you deserve healthy supplements, rather than supplements packaged with hydrogenated oils and other poisons that are legalized by our system of corrupt government and private industry? Shouldn't you deserve the very best? I think so. Get the best and put that in your body. Be healthy. Thanks for reading. This is Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, for Truth Publishing.
If your looking for great nutritional supplements then you need to try :
Related articles:
Acomplia drug hype reveals mythology of prescription drugs, shortcut philosophy of American culturePublished January 4 2005A new weight loss drug, Acomplia, is all the rage, even though it hasn’t yet been approved! People are talking about the drug with such a degree of excitement that weight loss centers say virtually...
Acomplia weight loss drug launches in UKPublished June 29 2006(NewsTarget) -- Sanofi Aventis launches its weight loss drug Acomplia today in the UK. The once-a-day pill was shown to help 40 percent of obese participants lose 10 percent of their body weight in...
Experimental diet drug Acomplia kept weight off for two or more years in early trialsPublished March 16 2005Tests of the new diet drug Acomplia show that users lost 10 percent or more of their body weight and kept that weight off for two years. The drug impedes the sensation of hunger by suppressing the...
Is Acomplia weight loss drug a threat to health clubs?Published January 4 2005Here's another article that promotes the hype and mythology of Acomplia, an upcoming weight loss drug that still remains entirely unproven. Amazingly, even the fitness industry seems concerned about...
Weight loss, anti-smoking drug Acomplia could be on the market by 2006Published January 25 2005One-stop shopping fans take note: a new pill that claims to help people stop smoking and lose weight at the same time is in its final stages of testing. It could be on the market by 2006. The new drug...
Acomplia hype spreads, granting the drug a "miracle cure" statusPublished January 18 2005A so-called miracle drug promises to help people quit smoking, lose weight, and cut their alcohol consumption. It’s called Acomplia, and it is even being heralded as a possible treatment for...
Maker of Acomplia claims it kills the urge for food and cigarettesPublished February 26 2006Philly.com takes a look at Sanofi-Aventis' Acomplia, also known as rimonabant, which reportedly reduces people's cravings for food and...
Acomplia diet drug shows real promise for sustained weight loss, but only if you keep taking itPublished November 9 2004In early clinical trials, Acomplia is looking promising. But with only 3,000+ people tested so far, it's far from being approved by the FDA. And even as effective as Acomplia appears to be in early...
Green tea packed with health-boosting nutrients
Green tea has special health-giving properties because of the way it's processed.
The leaves of black tea are fermented, but the green version is steamed, which makes it rich in antioxidants.
Green tea prevents cancer on a number of fronts: by protecting against damage to DNA, the trigger for cancer, and by shutting down a key molecule in the body that plays a significant role in the development of cancer.
Swedish research has shown it inhibits the formation of new blood vessels that help spread tumours.
Green tea also repairs damage to livers caused by alcohol, protects against diseases such as Parkinson's and rheumatoid arthritis, and restricts the build-up of cholesterol in the blood.
Female tea drinkers have stronger bones than non-tea drinkers, and this reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that inhibit the growth of cancer and protect externally against DNA damage induced by ultraviolet light.
The firm is one of a growing number that feature green tea as an ingredient in skincare products because of its protection against sun damage.
The results of a Swiss study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest that an extract from green tea may help with weight loss by speeding up fat oxidation.
Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.
Japanese evidence suggests that more than three cups a day may ward off the recurrence of breast cancer.
Studies have shown that people who drink five cups a day are 16 per cent less likely to develop heart disease.
If you are a dedicated tea drinker, you might want to consider decaffeinated versions
The leaves of black tea are fermented, but the green version is steamed, which makes it rich in antioxidants.
Green tea prevents cancer on a number of fronts: by protecting against damage to DNA, the trigger for cancer, and by shutting down a key molecule in the body that plays a significant role in the development of cancer.
Swedish research has shown it inhibits the formation of new blood vessels that help spread tumours.
Green tea also repairs damage to livers caused by alcohol, protects against diseases such as Parkinson's and rheumatoid arthritis, and restricts the build-up of cholesterol in the blood.
Female tea drinkers have stronger bones than non-tea drinkers, and this reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that inhibit the growth of cancer and protect externally against DNA damage induced by ultraviolet light.
The firm is one of a growing number that feature green tea as an ingredient in skincare products because of its protection against sun damage.
The results of a Swiss study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest that an extract from green tea may help with weight loss by speeding up fat oxidation.
Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.
Japanese evidence suggests that more than three cups a day may ward off the recurrence of breast cancer.
Studies have shown that people who drink five cups a day are 16 per cent less likely to develop heart disease.
If you are a dedicated tea drinker, you might want to consider decaffeinated versions
Thursday, February 22, 2007
WHY SFI IS THE BEST FOR GREEN TEA !
It is becoming increasingly well known and well accepted that green tea is good for our health. Green tea contains polyphenols, some of the strongest antioxidants known to man. These powerful antioxidants promote cardiovascular health, help minimize the effects of aging by fighting free radical damage, assist with weight control by blocking carbohydrate absorption and boost the body's immune system
Yet, to get maximum benefits of green tea we must consume enough of it. SFI has been making a concentrated liquid green tea for many years. One serving of HerbaGreen Tea provides you the Antioxidant Power of 15 cups of brewed green tea. Two to three cups of HerbaGreen Tea a day provide you with 200 to 300mg of polyphenols, the recommended daily dose for the antioxidant benefits. Many beverages containing green tea also contain sugar or artificial sweeteners. However, HerbaGreen Teas contain no alcohol, no caffeine, no sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Following the success of the Original HerbaGreen Tea, SFI has developed an exciting line of Patent Pending flavored green tea concentrates that not only provide powerful health protection, but also are a superior choice for a great tasting beverage. Invigorating tastes of Heavenly Honey Lemon , Mandarin Mango Swirl , Heavenly Honey Lemon™, and Original flavor will relax and comfort you. Each flavor bursts with the rich, full taste and aroma of fresh fruits and spices. Every cup delivers the power of antioxidant protection. And it's easy to make! Just add a dropper-full to a cup of water, stir and enjoy. Drink hot or cold. Each HerbaGreen Tea 2 oz. bottle contains 60 delicious servings.
BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA POLYPHENOLS:
* Maintains healthy cells, cell growth and development.
* Supports a healthy cardiovascular system.
* Promotes healthy weight control by blocking carbohydrate absorption.
* Fights damaging free-radicals, which attack healthy cells and promote aging.
* Supports the immune system.
* Helps the body maintain its toxin-free condition.
* Promotes healthy blood sugar balance.
* Supports dental and optimal gum health
Yet, to get maximum benefits of green tea we must consume enough of it. SFI has been making a concentrated liquid green tea for many years. One serving of HerbaGreen Tea provides you the Antioxidant Power of 15 cups of brewed green tea. Two to three cups of HerbaGreen Tea a day provide you with 200 to 300mg of polyphenols, the recommended daily dose for the antioxidant benefits. Many beverages containing green tea also contain sugar or artificial sweeteners. However, HerbaGreen Teas contain no alcohol, no caffeine, no sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Following the success of the Original HerbaGreen Tea, SFI has developed an exciting line of Patent Pending flavored green tea concentrates that not only provide powerful health protection, but also are a superior choice for a great tasting beverage. Invigorating tastes of Heavenly Honey Lemon , Mandarin Mango Swirl , Heavenly Honey Lemon™, and Original flavor will relax and comfort you. Each flavor bursts with the rich, full taste and aroma of fresh fruits and spices. Every cup delivers the power of antioxidant protection. And it's easy to make! Just add a dropper-full to a cup of water, stir and enjoy. Drink hot or cold. Each HerbaGreen Tea 2 oz. bottle contains 60 delicious servings.
BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA POLYPHENOLS:
* Maintains healthy cells, cell growth and development.
* Supports a healthy cardiovascular system.
* Promotes healthy weight control by blocking carbohydrate absorption.
* Fights damaging free-radicals, which attack healthy cells and promote aging.
* Supports the immune system.
* Helps the body maintain its toxin-free condition.
* Promotes healthy blood sugar balance.
* Supports dental and optimal gum health
HERBAGREEN TEAS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT !!
Naturally sweetened with lo han fruit extract--which promotes fat burning and soothes the digestion process--HerbaGreen Teas also contain lotus leaf (rich in isoflavones), kudzu (for promoting circulation), and 100mg of polyphenols, equivalent to at least 15 cups of the strongest brewed green tea. PLUS - HerbaGreen Teas contain NO calories or caffeine.
Each bottle equals 60 servings. Choose from among Original flavor, Heavenly Honey Lemon, or Mandarin Mango Swirl. Then, simply add a dropper full to hot, warm, or cold water and stir for a naturally delicious, wonderfully healthy drink!
BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA POLYPHENOLS:
* Maintains healthy cells, cell growth and development.
* Supports a healthy cardiovascular system.
* Promotes healthy weight control by blocking carbohydrate absorption.
* Fights damaging free-radicals, which attack healthy cells and promote aging.
* Supports the immune system.
* Helps the body maintain its toxin-free condition.
* Promotes healthy blood sugar balance.
* Supports dental and optimal gum health.
Antioxidants in Green Tea
Tea contains vitamins A, C, and E as well as health-promoting compounds called Flavonoids. The flavonoids, called polyphenols, act as antioxidants that counter the effects of reactive oxygen molecules that result from normal body functions and contribute to aging and chronic disease.
One subgroup of polyphenols, called catechins, is abundant in green tea (China Green Tea - Japan Green Tea), especially tea made from the very top of the bush. Catechins were discovered in the 1970s, when medical researchers were looking for the reason people in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture - a major tea-growing area - had much lower rates of cancer than other Japanese, even when they were very heay smokers. One catechin in particular, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), is found in no other plant than tea, and it's one of the most potent antioxidants yet discovered - up to twenty times stronger than Vitamin E. Numerous studies have found EGCg to be effective in preventing and inhibiting cancer growth.
Catechins make up as much as 30 percent of the dry weight of green tea leaves, but only three to ten percent of black tea. Steeping the leaves for three to five minutes releases the optimal amount of catechins.
One subgroup of polyphenols, called catechins, is abundant in green tea (China Green Tea - Japan Green Tea), especially tea made from the very top of the bush. Catechins were discovered in the 1970s, when medical researchers were looking for the reason people in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture - a major tea-growing area - had much lower rates of cancer than other Japanese, even when they were very heay smokers. One catechin in particular, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), is found in no other plant than tea, and it's one of the most potent antioxidants yet discovered - up to twenty times stronger than Vitamin E. Numerous studies have found EGCg to be effective in preventing and inhibiting cancer growth.
Catechins make up as much as 30 percent of the dry weight of green tea leaves, but only three to ten percent of black tea. Steeping the leaves for three to five minutes releases the optimal amount of catechins.
Today, hundreds of millions of people drink green tea globally for its health benefits
Today, hundreds of millions of people drink green tea globally for its health benefits. Various studies into the effects of green tea have been presented in recent years. Though these studies are still incomplete and inconclusive, they are pointing strongly toward having a key factor in achieving and maintaining good health. The health benefits of green tea are varied, mainly because its chemical makeup gives positive affects to many different bodily systems. It makes sense that many of us consume green tea to achieve those benefits. Basic breakdown of green tea components and its benefits are as follows:
Catechins (polyphenol) - The healthful factor of green tea is largely attributed to this chemical component. It reduces incidence of cancers, reduces oxidation by active oxygen, prevents cavities (because of its high content of flouride), increases metabolism, lowers high blood pressure and cholestrol, inhibits increase of blood pressure, inhibits increase of blood sugar, kills bacteria and virus, fights cariogenic bacteria, improves digestion, and prevents bad breath. The average cup of green tea contains about 50 to 150 milligram polyphenols.
Vitamin C - Reduces stress and prevents flu.
Theanine (amino acid) - Promotes neural function balance and inhibits increase of blood pressure.
Vitamin E - Prevents aging, prevents hardening of arteries, and promotes cholestrol balance.
Dietary Fiber- For every 100 gram of green tea, you can consume 10 gram dietary fibers. It improves intestinal activity for digestion.
Studies suggest that 3 cups or more of green tea daily can provide protection against cancer. However, manufacturers offer extracts that can be taken in pill form. A typical dosage is 100-150 mg 3 times daily of a green tea extract containing 80% total polyphenols. Whether these extracts offer any benefit remains unknown.
Catechins (polyphenol) - The healthful factor of green tea is largely attributed to this chemical component. It reduces incidence of cancers, reduces oxidation by active oxygen, prevents cavities (because of its high content of flouride), increases metabolism, lowers high blood pressure and cholestrol, inhibits increase of blood pressure, inhibits increase of blood sugar, kills bacteria and virus, fights cariogenic bacteria, improves digestion, and prevents bad breath. The average cup of green tea contains about 50 to 150 milligram polyphenols.
Vitamin C - Reduces stress and prevents flu.
Theanine (amino acid) - Promotes neural function balance and inhibits increase of blood pressure.
Vitamin E - Prevents aging, prevents hardening of arteries, and promotes cholestrol balance.
Dietary Fiber- For every 100 gram of green tea, you can consume 10 gram dietary fibers. It improves intestinal activity for digestion.
Studies suggest that 3 cups or more of green tea daily can provide protection against cancer. However, manufacturers offer extracts that can be taken in pill form. A typical dosage is 100-150 mg 3 times daily of a green tea extract containing 80% total polyphenols. Whether these extracts offer any benefit remains unknown.
WHAT IS TEA ?
TEA is the second most popular beverage in the world. Only water is rated higher in world consumption than tea. It is estimated that somewhere between 18 and 20 billion 6 oz. cups of tea are drunk daily on our planet. An extension of numbers would indicate that the United States only imports enough tea annually to keep world usage rates going for 2 days.
But to get to the topic:
WHAT IS TEA?
Tea is a beverage made from the processed leaf of a plant whose Latin name is: Camellia sinensis. Some of us who have been around for a long time in the tea industry still call it by its now out-dated name of Thea sinensis. But Camellia or Thea makes little difference; it is what comes out of the tea pot that is of importance. The exact processing of the leaf is described in another area of THE TEA MAN, so please refer to that section for specifics.
Tea is a stimulant, a very mild stimulant, since it contains caffeine. It contains fewer miligrams of caffeine per equal-sized cup than does coffee, but more than cocoa. Tea contains small quantities of tannic compounds technically called polyphenols (not tannic acid used in tanning leather), vitamin A, B2, C, D, K, and P, plus a number of minerals in trace amounts and also aromatic oils. The tannin compounds and essential oils are, in the main, responsible for the flavor of tea, the color, the astringency (dryness), and the delightful aromatics. These last two substances or compounds join forces to produce the high, medium and base notes of tea that one experiences (these are further described in the section of the site dealing with "How We Taste Tea"). These compounds which combine to produce the delicate and sought-after nuance flavors of tea cannot be determined chemically by analysis of the tea. All tea analysis comes out basically the same regardless of the variety or where in the world the tea is grown. It is in the well-developed palate of tea devotees that this decision of goodness is allowed to rest its case.
Tea is, for the most part, healthful to humans; however, individuals can misuse tea by drinking too much of it or making it too strong. As with many things we ingest, moderation and restraint are watchwords.
But to get to the topic:
WHAT IS TEA?
Tea is a beverage made from the processed leaf of a plant whose Latin name is: Camellia sinensis. Some of us who have been around for a long time in the tea industry still call it by its now out-dated name of Thea sinensis. But Camellia or Thea makes little difference; it is what comes out of the tea pot that is of importance. The exact processing of the leaf is described in another area of THE TEA MAN, so please refer to that section for specifics.
Tea is a stimulant, a very mild stimulant, since it contains caffeine. It contains fewer miligrams of caffeine per equal-sized cup than does coffee, but more than cocoa. Tea contains small quantities of tannic compounds technically called polyphenols (not tannic acid used in tanning leather), vitamin A, B2, C, D, K, and P, plus a number of minerals in trace amounts and also aromatic oils. The tannin compounds and essential oils are, in the main, responsible for the flavor of tea, the color, the astringency (dryness), and the delightful aromatics. These last two substances or compounds join forces to produce the high, medium and base notes of tea that one experiences (these are further described in the section of the site dealing with "How We Taste Tea"). These compounds which combine to produce the delicate and sought-after nuance flavors of tea cannot be determined chemically by analysis of the tea. All tea analysis comes out basically the same regardless of the variety or where in the world the tea is grown. It is in the well-developed palate of tea devotees that this decision of goodness is allowed to rest its case.
Tea is, for the most part, healthful to humans; however, individuals can misuse tea by drinking too much of it or making it too strong. As with many things we ingest, moderation and restraint are watchwords.
Tea has many health benefits
At Chelmsford Tea we understand the enormous interest in the medicinal qualities of Tea. Medical science has only recently begun giving credibility to what cultures the world over have believed for centuries. These articles show only a small portion of what is becoming accepted about Tea. We do not offer them as proof of any claims about Tea nor do we believe that anyone should disregard medical advice. They are for your information only.
National Cancer Institute Tea and Cancer Prevention: Fact Sheet
The American Cancer Society has this to say about Green Tea.
Research suggests that green tea may help prevent skin cancer.
And it is comforting to know that tea is not a pancreatic cancer risk, even though that disease is rising.
Some great info on green tea and esophageal cancer.
What we eat can help us overcome serious health threats such as cancer.
National Cancer Institute Tea and Cancer Prevention: Fact Sheet
The American Cancer Society has this to say about Green Tea.
Research suggests that green tea may help prevent skin cancer.
And it is comforting to know that tea is not a pancreatic cancer risk, even though that disease is rising.
Some great info on green tea and esophageal cancer.
What we eat can help us overcome serious health threats such as cancer.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Iced Tea Secrets
Iced tea is America's contribution to world tea culture. Because making iced tea is so easy, why not do it right?
Already by the 19th century iced tea recipes began to appear in cookbooks. But iced tea really took off in popularity when the tea merchant Richard Blechynden, unable to sell tea during a heat wave at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, decided to serve his tea over ice. It was a hit with visitors, and summer's haven't been the same since
Today, iced tea is the most popular tea in America. Forget about instant iced tea from a jar; it's too sweet and lacks real tea flavor. Great iced tea can be made with any black tea as well as flavored teas, such as Peach Black Tea, Lemon Green Tea, or even Oolong or Japanese Sencha. If you like it sweet, try using superfine baking or bartender's sugar (you can also make your own in a food processor). You can also mix up a sugar syrup on the stove with a 1:1 ration of sugar to water, simmer for a few minutes, cool, and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. If you allow tea to cool down naturally before refrigerating, it won't cloud or "cream down."
Cold Steeping
In this method, just double the amount of dry tea leaf (2 heaping tsp or 2 tea bags per cup), place in any clean jug and add the proper amount of cold water. Let the infusion stand in the refrigerator overnight or for at least six hours. Strain the tea into a second jug or container. Add sugar or lemon to taste. This is similar to sun tea, which also works fine, but some experts fear bacterial growth may occur in sun tea. I doubt it, but you be the judge.
Hot SteepingMethod
1: Use half the hot water you would ordinarily use for hot tea (1 tsp per 6 oz cup), infuse for 3-5 minutes, and pour over a full 12 oz glass of ice. The rapid cooling gives you a crystal clear tea.
OR
2: Some recipes call for doubling the tea leaf amount, steeping for 3-5 minutes, and then pouring into a container with the equal amount of cold water. This dilutes the strong tea and chills it quickly.
Fruit Juice Iced Tea Strong tea concentrates are especially great when mixed in a 1:1 ratio with lemonade or other fruit juices. Just be sure the juice doesn't overpower the tea flavor. If you shake this mix with some sugar in a cocktail shaker or in a blender, the aerated drink is wonderfully fresh and light tasting.
Recommended Iced Tea Blend: Tropical Black Tea (passionfruit, mango, peaches and black tea)
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