Association that people who drink at least a pint of green tea each day have a lower risk of death, mainly from a reduction in heart attacks and strokes.  The study was conducted on more than 40,000 people in Japan. They found that women who drink five or more 3.4-ounce cups of green tea every day cut their risk of heart disease by 31% compared with women who drink one or fewer 3.4-ounce cups. Men who drink this much green tea cut their heart disease risk by 22%.

Yang and his colleagues reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2004 the results of analysis of 1507 tea drinking individuals in Taiwan. They found that tea consumption of 1 to 5 cups per day reduced the risk for incident hypertension by 46% after adjusting for other risk factors. In another study of 17,143 Japanese individuals between the ages of 40 and 65, regular consumption of coffee or green tea reduced the risk of incident diabetes by approximately one third. This data was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2006. Both hypertension and diabetes are major culprits in the development of artherosclerosis and its associated complications: heart attack and diabetes.

Other benefits touted to drinking green tea include a protective effect against several cancers. Tea may also help arthritis. It improves the cognitive functioning of the brain, and may help delay the onset of Alzhiemer’s disease. Green tea also contains epigallocatechin gallate, which is purported to help speed the metabolism and increase energy use when combined with caffeine, and may help in weight loss. Tea also reduces stress and allows one to relax. Irving Ceaser, in "Tea for Two" writes, "Tea for two, and two for tea, me for you, and you for me". The social ceremony of tea drinking may have its rewards too.

The beneficial effects of drinking green tea are probably related to their rich content of polyphenols, catechins, flavonoids, and amino acids. These agents are involved in radical scavenging and antioxidant activities in our body, which are beneficial. Black tea may lose some of these good chemicals as a result of fermentation and processing. The best tea to drink may be white tea - these leaves are picked and harvested before they are fully open and undergo very little processing and no fermentation.

The 108 year old great-grandma Jewel once said, "Tea is a cup of life". However tea may not be safe for everyone. Tea should also be consumed with caution by people who are on the blood thinner warfarin, as tea contains vitamin K, which affects blood clotting. Tea is also high in oxalates and should be avoided by people with a history of oxalate kidney stones. And remember, drinking tea too hot may increase the risk of esophageal cancer.

A famous Japanese proverb says, "If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty." So brew and drink a cup of green tea today. You will not only be healthy, but wise.

Dr. Shashi K. Agarwal is a Board Certified Internist and Cardiologist with a private practice in New York City and New Jersey. He is also a diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine and the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
 

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