Friday, December 27, 2013
Green Tea Fights Prostate Cancer
Six cups of green tea a day may slow the progression of prostate cancer, a new study suggests.
The finding stems from research that showed prostate patients scheduled for a type of surgery known as a prostatectomy, where the prostate is removed, reduced their levels of some disease-associated inflammation by drinking lots of brewed green tea in the weeks preceding the operation. And that reduction in inflammation may inhibit tumor growth, the researchers suggested.
Their results were to be presented Thursday at the American Association for Cancer Researchs annual prevention conference in Anaheim, Calif.
The notion that the polyphenol compounds found in green tea might have a protective effect against prostate cancer has yet to be confirmed outside a laboratory setting. However, this latest report builds on previous Italian research that suggested that consuming green tea extract may help lower the risk that a precancerous condition will develop into full-blown prostate cancer.
And related research that was also presented at the cancer research conference suggested that the flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables may be associated with a lower risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.
However, at least one urologist, Dr. Mark Soloway, chairman emeritus of urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, pointed to the new studys limitations, and said it was too soon to say that green tea had any impact on prostate cancer.
Scientific findings presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
In this latest green tea study, men who drank the beverage for three to eight weeks prior to surgery experienced a noticeable drop in both serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentrations and PSA protein expression by the time they went under the knife. The fall-off in such telltale signs of disease was accompanied by reductions in both disease-linked inflammation and oxidative DNA damage, the study authors said.
"To see this effect, you would need to drink a lot of green tea," stressed study author Susanne Henning, a registered dietician and adjunct professor with the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine. "Two cups a day is not going to help. In fact, we had our men drink six cups spread out all throughout the day, which I think was beneficial because green tea polyphenols are excreted very rapidly, so if you drink it that way you keep your levels up. And that seems to be the important factor in keeping the protection going."
To explore the anti-cancer potential of green tea, the authors focused on 67 prostate cancer patients, all of whom were weeks away from surgery. About half the men were randomly assigned to a six-cup-a-day regimen of green tea leading up to surgery, while the others consumed water instead.
The result: Blood and urine samples analyzed alongside tissue samples taken during surgery revealed that the green tea group fared significantly better on key signs of inflammation, PSA levels and expression and DNA damage.
However, no notable difference was found between the two groups in terms of tumor cell growth.
Henning stressed the need for more research on the potential green-tea/prostate cancer connection, and her team is currently planning new animal investigations involving combinations of green tea and other natural foods.
While this research showed an association between green tea and prostate cancer, it did not prove a cause-and-effect link.
"Actually, several food agents have been under investigation for their protective impact," she noted. "Lycopene and omega-3 fatty acids, for example. So, I would say that if you have cancer and you want to make a decision about all of this, then think of incorporating all of those as a part of a lifestyle change. I know that if I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I would try to change my lifestyle. And that would mean, in addition to eating lots of fruits and vegetables and trying to lose weight and exercising, that I would definitely drink green tea."
The University of Miamis Soloway said that while drinking green tea probably does not have a downside, this "limited study" does not confirm its impact as a prostate cancer intervention.
"[Theres] not much solid data to prove it," he said. "This is a small study, and it would take a longer study with hundreds of patients to prove its benefit."
Soloway also noted that the jury is still out on whether inflammation even plays a significant role in cancer development. "It is very much a question," he said. "Not proven at all."
But, he agreed that until larger studies come along to explore green teas potential, "it might be worth giving it a shot."
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Tea Varieties And Grades Of Green Tea
Tea: Varieties And Grades Of Green Tea by Marcus Stout
If youve ever shopped for green tea, no doubt youre aware that there are a vast number of choices. There are green teas from many regions of the world, and many varieties, grades and flavors from each region.
Green tea was likely the first kind of tea. About 3000 years ago in China, people plucked fresh tea leaves and let them dry in the sun before storing them. In the 8th century, tea processors began using the evaporation process, and by the 12th century, they began sautéing the leaves. Basically, green tea came about before tea processors learned the methods associated with processing black tea.
Even today, green tea is one of the teas left in its most natural state. Unlike black tea, green tea is unfermented. This lack of fermentation leaves the chlorophyll in the leaves, so that they retain their green color. Green tea also retains more of its natural anti-oxidants as a result of being unfermented. This makes green tea a far healthier choice than black tea.
The natural anti-oxidants in green tea hold a great deal of power for protecting our health and preventing disease. Anti-oxidants are important to our health because they neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are created in our bodies as a by product of digestion. These oxygen containing molecules damage our cells and DNA if left unchecked.
A diet rich in foods such as fruits, vegetables and other plant products like tea, helps rid our bodies of free radicals before they can damage our bodies.
In recent years, there has been an abundance of research showing that long term drinking of green tea can protect our bodies from many forms of disease, including cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol. Green tea has also been shown to be an effective weight loss supplement as well as a natural way to help regulate insulin levels. More research is needed, but its very likely that as time goes on well find more and more health reasons for making green tea part of our everyday lives.
Classifying Green Tea
The many different varieties of green tea are classified, in part, by the method in which they are dried. The five methods of drying green tea include:
*Stir Frying - Fresh tea leaves are sauteed in a pan. This process is mainly used for export teas. Stir frying gives green a strong fragrance and taste. Some common varieties of green tea that are stir fried include gunpowder teas and Dragonwell teas.
*Roasting - Tea leaves are dried in a roast basket or roast chest. In most cases roasted teas are used as the basis for flower scented teas. Roasting keeps the leaves intact and makes them appear as though covered in a white fluff. Monkey king teas are roasted.
*Semi-roast and semi fry - Sometimes the stir frying and roasting methods are combined. This method is used in order to retain the beautiful look of a roasted leaf combined with the strong fragrance and taste of stir fried tea.
*Solar drying - This is the age old method, whereby leaves are dried in the sun. Today these leaves are typically used as the basis for compressed teas. These are the "green tea cakes" you sometimes see.
*Steaming - The leaves are steamed at a very high temperature to dry them. The most famous steamed green tea is Sencha.
Within each of these varieties of green tea, there are also quality grades. It can be very difficult to determine, however, the quality of tea youre buying, because each country has different grading methods. China, which produces more green tea than any other country in the world, grades their green tea something like this.
First, teas for export are graded according to the age of the leaf and the finished shape of the leaf. These categories include gunpowder, imperial, young hyson, hyson, twankay, hyson skin, and dust. Within each of these categories there are several quality grades; sometimes as many as nine grades within one leaf shape.
With all the complicated categories of green tea, it can be difficult to know which ones to dry. Understanding the different drying methods and how they affect the flavor of the tea will give you a good start, as you can select varieties dried in the method that produces the taste you prefer. However, when it comes to selecting the best quality of this variety, you have little to go on. There are a couple of ways to spot good quality tea:
*Form - Loose tea is higher quality than bagged tea. Whether its black tea, green tea or white tea, you can bet that the lowest quality leaves are the ones used in tea bags. For good tea, always buy loose tea.
*Price - If loose green tea is really inexpensive, its probably not very good quality. Shop around to get a good idea of a fair price for good loose green tea so that you can accurately judge prices.
*Reputation of Tea Company - One of the best ways to ensure that you get good tea is to buy from a tea company with a reputation for selling only the highest quality teas. This is particularly important when shopping online.
Its true that there are many varieties of green tea. But, thats what makes trying green tea so much fun! Theres almost no end to the many flavors and nuances you can find in the different varieties of green tea. Youre sure to want to try them all!
About the Author
Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, wholesale tea and black tea go to www.goldenmoontea.com
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Tea drinkers Rare Diabetes Reduce diabetes ridk
A study of populations in Europe found that the countries who drank four cups of tea a day - the average community in the UK - have a risk 20 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers said the benefits of drinking tea seems most evident among drinkers of 4 or more cups of tea a day. While those who drank one to three cups a day does not have a reduced risk of diabetes.
The research team led by Christian Herder of the Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Germany, said previous research shows tea consumption was associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes.
"Obesity is a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, but dietary factors may also play a role. One interesting factor is the consumption of diet tea. Tea consumption may lower risk of type 2 diabetes affect the digestion of glucose, glucose absorption, and to protect the beta cells from free radical damage. this beneficial effect may be caused by the content of polyphenols in tea, "said Herder.
"Drink at least four cups of tea per day was associated with a 20 percent lower risk, while drinking one to three cups per day did not lower the risk of diabetes compared with non-tea drinkers," he added.
Herder said, it is not certain whether the amount of tea intake influences. Therefore, he examined the association between tea consumption and the number of cases of type 2 diabetes in European populations.
Research was conducted at 26 centers in eight European countries, and consists of 12 403 incident cases of type 2 diabetes plus thousands of other volunteers who do not have the disease.
"Improving our understanding of lifestyle modification associated with the development of type 2 diabetes become very important because the prevalence of diabetes continues to increase rapidly."
"In line with these findings, no association of tea consumption when studied as a continuous variable. This may indicate that the protective effect of tea was limited to those who consumed the highest amounts of tea," he said.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Benefits of Drinking Green Tea
| Drinking Green Tea |
Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea
Benefits of Drinking Green Tea - Benefits of green tea we can get it very much. Drinking green tea every day is good to our health. Drinking a cup of green tea when morning can improve stamina. Some of the benefits of drinking green tea for health will be discussed in this article. Not only that, some of the benefits of drinking green tea for beauty will also be discussed.| Woman Drinking Green Tea |
The Benefits of Drinking Green Tea
| Cup of Green Tea |
Benefits of Drinking Green Tea for Beauty
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Green Tea Benefits for Hair
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| Green Tea Benefits for Prevent Hair Loss |
