Time for a nice Cup of Tea. A national obsession well founded in Nutritional Science!

Tea anyone.......should be Tea Everyone in my eyes.

Once again another study highlights the vast nature of Tea's potential protective quality, especially Green, White Tea, however some forms of black, yellow and oolong tea all share the potential affect on long-term health.

Tea all round. Hurrah!

A team of research Scientists at Newcastle University, UK, led by Dr Ed Okello wanted to see if the protective properties of green tea -- which have previously been shown to be present in the undigested, freshly brewed form of the drink -- were still active once the tea had been digested:

"Digestion is a vital process which provides our bodies with the nutrients we need to survive. But it also means that just because the food we put into our mouths is generally accepted to contain health-boosting properties, we can't assume these compounds will ever be absorbed by the body."

From resulting digestion and activation by enzymes in the gut the key chemical in green tea were thus able to prove more affective against triggers associated not only with Alzheimer's and the development of other forms of dementia, but also potentially a role in protection against cancer when consumed along with a well balanced diet and lifestyle: Dr Okello:-


"In addition to this, we also found the digested compounds had anti-cancer properties, significantly slowing down the growth of the tumour cells which we were using in our experiments."





Green Tea, white tea and Yellow tea are particularly rich in Flavonoids such as Catechins that maybe the significant element that makes these beverages potentially important for Health.

Epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG)is the most abundant Catechin in green Tea and thought to be the significant element in the tea's antioxidant effect and potential benefit to health such as with various Cancers.

One cup of green tea for example can potentially supply 20-30mg of EGCG providing the largest single quantity of antioxidant properties of all the tea's catechins.

The Polyhenols that exist in tea, black, green white and yellow have been shown in previous studies to be protective against potential damage to brain cells hence the possible benefits against the development of neurological problems such as Alzheimer's.

During research Dr Okello and his team exposed cells to varying concentrations of the different toxins and the digested green tea compounds, explaining that:

"The digested chemicals protected the cells, preventing the toxins from destroying the cells." Adding..."We also saw them affecting the cancer cells, significantly slowing down their growth."

As the good doctor and his team point out, just drinking tea of this nature is not a prerequisite to protection against destructive degenerative disease and illness such Alzheimer's, dementia and many forms of cancer. Their are many factors that influence disease, as their are many factors that potentially have a positive protective effect against such illness, well balanced diet, exercise and lifestyle influences that help reduce stress and create a positive outlook on life being part of that influence.

Journal Reference:

1. E.J. Okello, G.J. McDougall, S. Kumar, C.J. Seal. In vitro protective effects of colon-available extract of Camellia sinensis (tea) against hydrogen peroxide and beta-amyloid (Aβ(1–42)) induced cytotoxicity in differentiated PC12 cells. Phytomedicine, 2010; DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2010.11.004

With these supportive and positive influences in place, the consumption of tea as discussed in these studies could potentially have an influence on illness and disease such as:

• Cardiovascular Disease
• Cancer, especially cancer of the Brain, prostate, cervix and bladder
• Stroke
• Osteoporosis
• Teeth Health 
• Type 2 Diabetes

In a well Balanced diet, Tea could be King!

My Favourite quality tea suppliers Jing, (http://jingtea.com) a supplier of fine Green, white, yellow and black teas such as oolong, from a vast variety of teas, produced commissioned tests on the antioxidant levels of their supplied tea's to look more closely at the Catechin/flavonoid (Polyphenols) levels (EGCG) and to provide the general buying public interested in the health benefits of such tea consumption as part of a balanced diet, more insight into which tea's may provide greater benefit.

Using a serving of mg/250ml serving,results with the total antioxidant levels for each tea were:

 (Taken from http://jingtea.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/jing-tea-testing-our-teas-for-antioxidants)

 

1. Pre-Rain Jun Shan Silver Needle Yellow Tea – 75.25mg EGCG/250ml serving

2. Pre-Rain Organic Dragon Well Supreme Green Tea – 64.5mg EGCG/250ml serving

3. Organic Gunpowder Supreme Green Tea – 61mg EGCG/250ml serving

4. Organic White Peony Supreme White Tea – 50.75mg EGCG/250ml serving

5. Silver Needle White Tea – 39.25mg EGCG/250ml serving

6. Big Red Robe Supreme Oolong Tea – 26.5mg EGCG/250ml serving

7. Yellow Gold Oolong Tea – 14.5mg EGCG/250ml serving

8. Assam Breakfast Black Tea – 6mg EGCG/250ml serving

Pre-Rain Dragon Well Supreme Green Tea - Very High in antioxidant EGCG levels.

More Than Just Tea

For many cultures around the world, the kind of high quality tea with the potential to provide health benefits when drunk as part of a well balanced diet as l and other researchers have been discussing also acts a pivotal point to life in general, or should that be a way of life.

In parts of India, Tibet, the Himalayas, Bhutan, but especially in China and Japan, tea, it's growing, it's farming, it's processing, it's drinking is as important as religion, and the rituals of the the Chinese or Japanese Tea ceremony especially have been an important influence to millions of people since ancient and medieval times.

Whether it is the use of ancient tea lines, species, growing area, sets of spiritual or religious rituals, ancient tools or tea wear, eqipment and mannerisms, the one overriding aspect in all Tea ceremony's is how and why certain tea's are picked, and how when loking to get the full allround benefit of the tea, how it is made.

When researching yourself and deciding on a quality tea to buy and use, take note of how the best way to prepare and make tea to best get the benefits it offers.

And why?

Well one aspect of Antioxidant quantity and quality found in green, white, black, yellow teas is that excess heat can destroy the amounts of active Epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), so be mindful when making these kind of tea's......OVERHEATED WATER MAY DESTROY THE ANTIOXIDANTS!

Always good to know these things and listen to advice that has been passed on for thousand's of years!

Toodle pip!

Nutrition Advice

For more benefits of a well balanced diet, healthier lifestyle and the potential of tea drinking, come and visit me at my clinic and see what positive changes maybe suitable for you.

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Walk..................................................Don't run.

School Sports day indoors!

Those unforgettable shouts from across the corridor in that horrible school, and all l was doing was running to the toilet to save the school cleaners some time and money, but alas it seems those educational masters of doom and gloom may have been on to something if a recent report is anything to go by.




New research that brings together 40 years of studies into the benefits of exercise and health reveals that it only takes 30 minutes a day of exercise to cut your risk of many illnesses, including, hypertension, obesity, depression, osteoporosis and potentially many forms of Cancer, as Dr Rachel Thompson, deputy head of science for the World Cancer Research Fund, points out-

"There is now very strong evidence that being physically active can reduce risk of cancer. For example, we estimate that about 12 per cent of bowel cancer cases in the UK could be prevented through people being more active. "The evidence also shows that physical activity also probably reduces risk of breast cancer and cancer of the womb lining."

It may be that a simple, brisk daily walk around your local park, beach, country path, hilltop lookout could do the trick just as good as taking up running like Usain Bolt or Paula Radcliffe, or simply just me legging it to the toilet during Geography class at secondary school!



The Report taken from the International Journal of Clinical Practice, found being fit, active and healthy ranks alongside not smoking in our personal choices to reduce the risk of illness and disease and stay healthy.

Make use of whats around you

5 days a week of 30 minute walk's around the Royal parks of London (You can't beat Greenwich or Regents park in my eyes), the Malvern hills or South Downs, the South West Costal path, along Hadrians wall or up and down the Glens of Scotland, the benefits are universal to men and woman of all age groups, and importantly in regards cancer, physical activity after diagnosis can aid recovery and improve survival chances.







The author of the study, Physiotherapist Leslie Afford from the school of physiotherapy at the University of East Anglia, England, pointed out that living a healthy, long life and avoiding the pitfalls of ill health and disease were a complex mix of factors because of the individual nature of human beings, but pointed out that-

"Individuals have an element of control over some of these factors, including obesity, diet, smoking and physical activity."

Best foot forward

He went on to highlight that it's not always easy to make many lifestyle changes all at once, but 

"they can still gain health benefits from increasing the amount of regular exercise they take."

Luckily for all of us, the report points out that it's never too late to start those brisk walks, that cycle on one of the country's many cycle routes or putting yourself forward as the UK's next Ironman or Triathlete, older people will also see the benefits of regular activity or exercise.

So many Parks....let's use them.

And though exercise and activity may not necessarily affect weight loss unless accompanied by dietary control, exercise and activity will have many other beneficial affects, one of those which could be to lift mood, anxiety and depression in someone normally inactive, providing them the catalyst to make wider changes that will look at food intake and diet that could help with weight loss...........opting out of that vicious Circle, instead,  being a nice circle to jump into!

I say, if you can Jog, swim, cycle or gym 3 times a week, or on the other side, a good walk 5 times a week, which for some may just mean giving up public transport (a lot easier when the Unions go on strike in London leaving you stranded with no option but to walk), or getting of the bus a couple of stops early, or making use of a canal tow path or cycle path or riverside walk.

Keep going on strike.....less obesity!

I gave up the Gym nearly 5 years ago, and as long as you make cleverer more informed choices in regards your food intake, finding what you as an individual needs (and what you don't need most of the time), being aware of Blood Sugar Balance/Control and controlling the amount we eat, the portion sizes, which we in the West are not used to, well, ever since the 1940's, then it maybe a lot easier to find exercise and activity which we as an individual enjoy and benefit from instead of believing an unused Gym membership is the answer......it is for some, but not the many.

So get out of the house and find that activity that's right for you....and if you get fired because your late for work....either blame the unions....or Health reports like this!