Tea consumption slows cognitive decline in older adults

(NaturalNews) Older adults who drink tea regularly experience significantly less cognitive decline than adults of the same age who do not drink tea, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles and the University of Washington and presented at the Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease 2010. “In recent years, a body of scientific evidence has shown that regular tea drinking may have an important role in health and wellness,” says Douglas Balentine of the Lipton Institute of Tea, which funded the study. “This new study provides further support that regular tea drinking may be an important actionable change a consumer can make as part of a healthy lifestyle.” The researchers followed more 4,800 U.S. residents over the age of 64 for up to 14 years, regularly assessing tea consumption and coffee consumption using food frequency questionnaires and assessing cognitive performance with the Mini-Mental State Examination. After adjusting for potential confounding factors such as age, education, medical history and smoking status, the researchers found that tea drinking was associated with 17 to 37 percent less cognitive decline over time. Compared with participants who never drank tea, those who drank tea only five to 10 times per year experienced 17 percent less cognitive decline. Cognitive decline was 26 percent lower in those who drank tea five or more times per week, 32 percent lower in those who drank it one to three times per month, and 37 percent lower in those who drank it one to four times per week. Coffee consumption, in contrast, had no effect on cognitive decline except among those who drank it five or more times per week; in this group, cognitive decline was decreased by 20 percent. A full 25 percent of participants reported drinking tea daily, while 43 percent drank coffee every day. “This study suggests a potential neuroprotective effect of tea consumption against cognitive decline,” lead researcher Lenore Arab said. “This neuroprotective effect of tea is unlikely related to caffeine since coffee, which has two to three times more caffeine than tea, did not have the same effect.” Sources for this story include: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-data-suggest-regular-tea-drinking-may-protect-against-cognitive-decline-98227754.html.

Green tea compounds found to help halt leukemia

(NaturalNews) An extract from green tea may slow the progression of the most common form of leukemia, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Mayo Clinic and presented at the annual meeting of the “American Society of Clinical Oncology.” The study was conducted on 42 patients suffering from early-stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Because CLL typically develops slowly with periods of remission, patients are only treated when the disease is actively spreading. None of the study participants were yet undergoing any cancer treatment, including radiation or chemotherapy. The participants were treated with an extract of epigallocatechin galeate (EGCG), an antioxidant in the catechin family, leading to a significant drop in leukemia cell count in more than two-thirds of participants. In more than one-third of participants, the number of cancerous cells in the blood dropped by a full 20 percent. Additionally, 70 percent of patients who were suffering from enlarged lymph nodes underwent a 50 percent reduction in lymph node size. “Although only a comparative phase III trial can determine whether EGCG can delay progression of CLL, the benefits we have seen in most CLL patients who use the chemical suggest that it has modest clinical activity and may be useful for stabilizing this form of leukemia, potentially slowing it down,” said lead author Tait Shanafelt. Prior studies have suggested that green tea and its compounds may help fight off cancers of the bladder, colon, esophagus, stomach and pancreas. More recent studies have suggested that it may help fend off tooth decay and aid in weight loss. Green tea consumption has also been associated with a lowered risk of heart disease, liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis and impaired immune disease. In addition to helping prevent these chronic diseases, green tea may also help slow their progression. Advocates of the beverage also claim that it can help cleanse the body of toxins. Sources for this story include: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7804149/Green-tea-extract-may-slow-leukaemia-researchers-have-suggested.html; http://www.themedguru.com/20100609/newsfeature/green-tea-compound-may-help-treat-leukemia-86136352.html.

Bottled tea beverages contain little or no antioxidants

(NaturalNews) Countless studies over the years about the health benefits of tea — particularly green tea — have driven many health-conscious consumers to stock up on all the latest tea beverages that claim to improve health. But a recent study has shown that most commercial bottled tea drinks contain virtually no antioxidants and a whole lot of sugar or artificial sweeteners. “Consumers understand very well the concept of the health benefits from drinking tea or consuming other tea products,” explained Shiming Li, Ph.D., an analytical and natural product chemist, concerning the study. “However, there is a huge gap between the perception that tea consumption is healthy and the actual amount of the healthful nutrients — polyphenols — found in bottled tea beverages. Our analysis of tea beverages found that the polyphenol content is extremely low.” Polyphenols are the unique antioxidants commonly found in freshly-brewed tea that exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-diabetic effects on the body. But after analyzing six different brands of bottled tea beverages, Li and his colleagues discovered that three contained “virtually no” polyphenols, and the others had so little that they provided little benefit. To put this into perspective, an average cup of home-brewed green or black tea contains anywhere from 50 to 150 milligrams of polyphenols. The bottled teas examined, on the other hand, contained as little as three milligrams of polyphenols per bottle. “Someone would have to drink bottle after bottle of these teas in some cases to receive health benefits,” emphasized Li. Part of the reason why commercial bottled teas contain so little polyphenols is that these antioxidants are what give tea its bitter flavor. So in order to appeal to the masses, commercial producers often dilute, process and sweeten the tea to make it more appealing to consumers. Sources for this story include: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/acs-btb080610.php

Green tea blocks lung cancer

(NaturalNews) Drinking at least a cup of green tea a day may significantly decrease a person’s risk of lung cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from Shan Medical University in Taiwan. Cancer rates are significantly lower in Asia than in other parts of the world, and high consumption of green tea has been suggested as one of the potential explanations. Laboratory studies have suggested that the polyphenols in green tea can halt the growth of cancer cells, but the results of human studies have been mixed. In the current study, researchers analyzed green tea consumption, smoking, genetic factors and lung cancer risk in more than 500 people. They found that among non-smokers, those who did not drink tea had five times the lung cancer risk of those who drank at least one cup per day. Among smokers, not drinking green tea was linked to 12 times the cancer risk of those who drank at least one cup per day. A genetic analysis of all the study participants revealed that a specific variant of the gene known as IGF1 was associated with the correlation between higher tea consumption and lower cancer risk. Among those without this variant, green tea consumption had little effect on cancer risk. This could explain the inconsistent results of prior studies. Health experts warned that whatever the benefits of green tea might be, they do not outweigh the danger posed by smoking. “Smoking tobacco fills your lungs with around 80 cancer-causing chemicals,” said Yinka Ebo of Cancer Research U.K. “Drinking green tea is not going to compensate for that. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to make up for the harm caused by smoking by doing other things right like eating a healthy, balanced diet. The best thing a smoker can do to reduce their risk of lung cancer, and more than a dozen other cancer types, is to quit.” Sources for this story include: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8453628.stm.