Tea: Are Black Tea's Anti-oxidants as Effective as Green Tea's?
In recent years, scientists have been discovering the benefits of drinking tea. Tea’s anti-oxidants have become the source of much discussion for their ability to prevent disease and slow the aging process. We’ve learned that tea drinking can be a simple way to help preserve your health.
Most of the attention has been given to green tea. All types of tea come from the camellia sinensis plant, but the finished products we drink are different because of the way the tea leaves are processed. Black tea is fully fermented, oolong tea is partially fermented and green tea is left unfermented.
Because fermentation changes the properties of the tea leaves, and thus the anti-oxidants they contain, green tea is believed to be healthier than other forms. Green tea’s unfermented leaves contain all the plant’s anti-oxidants in their natural state. In black tea, the converted anti-oxidants are referred to as theaflavins; green tea’s anti-oxidants are called catechins.
However, at least one study suggests that black tea’s theaflavins are equally as beneficial as the catechins in green tea. A study conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong concluded that the theaflavins in black tea are just as effective at scavenging free radicals as the catechins in green tea.
The scavenging of free radicals is critical to maintaining our health. These free radicals are created as a by product of converting the food we eat to energy. If they are not kept in check, they wreak havoc on our bodies by damaging our cells and DNA. This leads to faster aging and a higher risk of many diseases, including cancer, heart disease and stroke. They even make us look older.
So, to prevent your risk of disease, doctors recommend that you have a diet high in anti-oxidants. And, not all anti-oxidants are created equal. It’s helpful to eat the foods that contain the most potent anti-oxidants. This includes pomegranates, tomatoes and blueberries. And, it also includes drinking tea each day.
The attention that green tea has received for its natural anti-oxidants has caused a significant rise in the consumption and availability of green tea in the Western world. While green tea has always been the tea of choice in Asian countries, black tea is far more popular in the west, though that is changing.
However, black tea is still the most widely consumed beverage in the west (after water) and is expected to remain so. The news that our favored black tea may be just as effective at preventing disease as green tea is good news, indeed.
If you want to receive the maximum health benefits from your tea, it’s important to make it part of your daily life. Asian cultures, where rates of cancer and heart disease are lowest, consume tea all day long. So, drinking a cup or two of tea a week may not be enough to provide you the health benefits you’re looking for.
Therefore, it’s important to find ways to make tea drinking a regular habit. Even if you’re a morning coffee drinker, you may find that you can substitute a cup of tea for your second cup of coffee of the day.
And, a cup of tea can be a very relaxing way to wind down just before bed. Because tea’s caffeine doesn’t seem to cause jitters and increase heart rate the way coffee does, most people have no problem drinking it before bed.
In addition, you’ll find lots of bottled teas available on the market today. This form makes it simple to grab a bottle of tea and take it anywhere. Some of the health benefits you may gain by drinking tea each and every day include:
• There is clear evidence that tea reduces our risk for cardiovascular disease. Tea helps reduce cholesterol levels and prevents the cholesterol that’s in our bodies from turning into artery clogging plaque.
• There have been many studies that link tea with a reduced risk of many forms of cancer, including colo-rectal cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer and even skin cancer.
• There have been studies that suggest that tea is healthy for the teeth and prevents tooth decay.
• Some studies suggest that tea can positively affect mood and cognitive performance.
• Tea may have the ability to regulate the hormone insulin, meaning that it may offer help for those with diabetes.
• Tea may be able to prevent neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
• Tea has been shown to speed up the metabolism and help oxidize fat, so it may help you lose weight.
As research continues, it’s likely that we’ll find even more ways that tea can protect our health and slow down the aging process. And, now that it seems that tea can protect us regardless of whether we prefer green tea or black, it’s even easier to be certain we’re getting our daily dose of tea!
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com
A Guide to Thinning Hair Specialists
Many different specialists deal with the problems of thinning hair. These will include your barber or hairdresser who may be able to suggest new styles and shampoos. They will not of course be able to prescribe medication.
Herbalists may have great knowledge on the subject and be able to suggest food supplements that may help. Both Chinese and Indian herbalists have a long experience with the condition.
Your general practitioner will be able to discuss the matter and eliminate certain causes such as hypothyroidism, or, in the case of a short term cause, such as the end of pregnancy or interaction with a necessary treatment, they will be able to reassure you. They may also be able to prescribe medication or refer you to a specialist if this seems necessary and helpful.
In the case of women who have recently been pregnant your health visitor or district nurse will be able to explain what is happening and why and what you can expect to happen.
There are many companies out there selling hair restoration products. Look at their web sites carefully and you will see that some have available the results of recent clinical trials or feed back from clients who have used their products. There are also independent web sites giving advice on the subject such as that produced by GM television or Alpha7 Hair Care. However some sites which appear to be independant may belong to drug companies or clinics. That isn’t to say that their advice is necessarily biased, but read carefully.
The makers of wigs and toupees are specialists in their own right if that is the way you decide to proceed.
It may be that your general practitioner will refer you to a dermatologist – that is a specialist in skin conditions, or to an endocrinologist – i.e. a specialist in the function o f the glands.
You may decide on hair transplant surgery in which case there are a number of clinics which specialise in this sort of treatment, and although these will be private clinics, once again your general practitioner will be able to advise you. Modern methods seem to achieve quite good ( though expensive) results without the cornrow appearance of earlier methods.
Some web site writers are experts of a different sort – they use words such as ‘restore the health of your hair’ – this does not necessarily imply new growth. They may have complicated facts and figures that do not compare like with like. They may say such things as ‘6% improvement after 10 months’, but if the clients concerned had 80% loss it will still look like a bald head. So read with care.
Hair loss is a complicated business and there are many different causes of baldness and many different treatments available. However the most common cause is genetic i.e if your father or mother had hair loss then your chances of having the same are much increased. In this case this is a progressive condition. Beware of spending your hard earned cash with so called experts who offer amazing results. Some treatments may halt loss or even improve matters for a while, but they can prove quite expensive in the long run and hair re-growth is a slow process, because we all know that even in the best of circumstances hair grows very slowly.
John Tulley has written many articles on the subject of hair loss treatments and remedies. To read further articles by John Tulley click here: Hair loss directory.
To download a free copy of John Tulleys' brand new e-book, "Hair Loss Treatments: How to Stop Hair Loss and Regrow Your Hair!", click here: Hair Loss Treatments Report
Is Murdering Your Metabolism A Crime Against Your Body?
I’ve often asked this simple question of my dieting friends and family. Is murdering your Metabolism a serious crime against your own body? For example, you are not consistent with dieting like you have been, often in and out of those losing weight programs, over the years; you simply gain and lose weight interchangeably. Has it something to do with ruining your diet? Does it mean a problem or just a common misconception?
It is nothing else but impossible. Diet could not be ruined. There may be noticeable shifts in the body composition that is regarded as one of the things people refer to when they talk about their metabolism being "ruined" by dieting but this is only a natural component the so-called “burning of calories.”
If one hopes to bring his or her metabolic rate up and soaring, one of the best things you can do is regain some of that lost muscle by adding weight training to your routine. With this, metabolism would be faster and attaining the lighter weight you have now is easier.
In the dieting world, this phenomenon of gain now, lose weight later is called “yo-yo” effect. There are specific positive actions you can make in order to work with any metabolic concern you may have as a result of your dieting history. Every person differs, so have the freedom and sensibility to gauge your needs and put into consideration all the factors especially what your metabolism is like.
Most people experiencing the trouble of the yo-yo effect have been trying to lose weight using a low-fat diet. However, this is not the correct approach. Low-fat diets are generally high in carbohydrate diets, and they just have this imaginary guarantee that your body will consistently give high levels of insulin. The fact is, the body does not burn fat when there are high levels of insulin.
The thought of metabolism being destroyed is of falsity. Metabolism is by fact, a phenomenon that starts in the womb and ends in the tomb. We just need to take good care of our health and see to it that our metabolic rate or metabolism as a whole is not unknown to us.
Through it, we could take strides to a life of good health and satisfaction. And we must be cautious in dieting or else.
Oh No! Not That Low-Carb Diet Again!
Just before you think that low-carbohydrate diets would save you from getting fat, better think again and weigh things up for your self. There is indeed a misconception in the arena of dieting that one must get rid of the carbohydrates-rich food group. We just do not realize that these food included in carbohydrates’ circle are the major source of energy that we need to keep up with the hard work we do every day.
Did you now that this type of diet is only good for temporary purposes? On the other these low carbohydrate diets even have long-term risks. They are so alarming but one need not panic, all is not lost, all you have to do is to start healthier this time around.
There is a risk of Osteoporosis.
Diets which are very high in protein like animal protein from meat heightens the risk for osteoporosis for women because the body takes calcium from the bone to neutralize the acids that build up in the blood as a result of digesting large amounts of protein. In addition, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, any low-carb diet which is low in fruits, vegetables and whole grains but high in animal foods increases the risk of acquiring kinds of cancers. Low carb diets your body to take high fats. An international study shows that countries low rate of breast cancer, are countries that have high fat intakes while those with a high fat consumption have high rates. Diets which use high-fiber food are better and they would help to gradually overcome the risks of breast cancer.
The most alarming id the risk of heart diseases, yes it is. Over-consumption of saturated fat is a known risk factor for raised LDL cholesterol, heart disease and stroke.
This common misconception must be alternated by a new fact that for one to determine how to slim down or lose weight, metabolism affects how much a person could lose weight and not merely rely on the idea that ignoring rice, and all the nutrients they provide.
Here's to improving and maintaining your own perfect metabolic rate
John
John Elliott aka Oaky Wood together with Luella May co-founded http://thecorner4women.com "Motivating & Empowering Women, in the Home for Business, Health and Leisure" for more Health related articles visit:
http://health-center.thecorner4women.com
THIS ARTICLE MAY BE REPRODUCED PROVIDED IT REMAINS INTACT AND ALL LINKS ABOVE ARE KEPT ACTIVE
