| Taste the difference! |
Ring in the New Year with Tea: Help to Lose Weight and Boost Immune
System and Heart Health
Monday December 26, 6:00 am ET
- January is National Hot Tea Month -
NEW YORK, Dec. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Perhaps it's no coincidence that January is
National Hot Tea Month, a time when many people resolve to lose weight in the New
Year. Tea, which studies suggest may be associated with decreased risk of heart
disease and cancer, may also help in the battle against the bulge. A study published
in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that substances in tea may
promote weight loss by increasing the amount of energy spent by the body. The
researchers theorize that green tea, which has thermogenic properties that promote
fat oxidation as a result of the catechins contained in tea, may work together with
other chemicals to increase weight loss. This is potentially good news for the more
than half of Americans who are either overweight or obese and want to begin the New
Year by losing weight.
In the study, healthy young men (average age: 25) ate a typical Western diet for six
weeks and took either two green tea extracts (the equivalent of one cup of green tea)
plus 50 milligrams of caffeine; 50 milligrams of caffeine only; or a placebo, with each of
three meals a day. Those men taking the green tea extracts, equivalent to a total of
three cups of tea per day, experienced a significant increase in the number of calories
used in a 24-hour period -- resulting in more fats being metabolized by the body for
energy -- than the men taking only the caffeine or the placebo. There was no
difference in overall calorie or fat burning calories in the caffeine or placebo groups;
only the tea group showed the weight loss results.
Another study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, suggests that tea
catechins may help resist the development of obesity. Japanese researchers
compared the body weight and fat mass of mice that were fed a low-fat or high-fat diet,
with swimming or not and with or without tea catechins. Those mice that were fed a
high-fat diet with tea catechins but without exercise showed reduced fat accumulation
of 18 percent while exercise alone showed reduced fat accumulation of 14 percent.
Mice that exercised and consumed the catechins showed reduced fat accumulation of
33 percent.
In addition to possibly helping our bodies look better on the outside, tea may also help
our bodies on the inside. That's because black and green tea may help boost the
body's immune system, which provides the body's natural ability to fight viral infections
such as cold and flu. Research reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences found that people who drank 20 ounces of black tea per day (the
equivalent of approximately three cups) produced five times the amount of
germ-fighting cells as those who drank coffee. This suggests that tea drinkers may
have a better chance of fighting off an infection than non-tea drinkers.
"The evidence continues to mount associating tea consumption with reduced risk of
heart disease and cancer, and healthy weight. Indeed, it appears that tea may offer a
powerhouse of disease-fighting potential," says Jenna Bell-Wilson, Ph.D., RD,
Assistant Professor of Clinical Allied Medicine, The Ohio State University Medical
Center. "And knowing that the resolutions we're most likely to stick with beyond
January are those that require small changes in behavior, it only makes good sense to
choose a beverage like tea, which may give you this health boost, over something
else."
A multitude of research suggests that drinking tea should be included as part of a
healthy diet and may contribute to overall health. The most recent findings, published
in the December 2005 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that women
who consumed two or more cups of tea daily over a period of time lowered their risk of
ovarian cancer by 46% compared with women who never or seldom consumed tea.
The study found that each additional cup of tea consumed per day was associated
with an 18% lower risk of ovarian cancer. Other research connecting tea with potential
health benefits include studies that suggest:
* Cardiovascular health benefits, including reduced risk of heart attack,
stroke and improved blood vessel function.
* Reduced risk of certain cancers, including colorectal and skin cancers
* Reduced levels of oxidative DNA damage and increases in antioxidant
levels in blood stream
* Oral health benefits, as researchers believe certain compounds in tea
may inhibit bacteria that cause bad breath and plaque, and the fluoride
content in tea supports healthy tooth enamel
"January's National Hot Tea Month can serve as a reminder to do something healthy
for ourselves, like brew a hot cup of tea, which may provide a variety of health
benefits, serve as a weight loss aid and help to ward off persistent cold and flu
germs," said Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Council of the USA. "What more could
you ask for in a beverage."
Source: Tea Council of the USA
System and Heart Health
Monday December 26, 6:00 am ET
- January is National Hot Tea Month -
NEW YORK, Dec. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Perhaps it's no coincidence that January is
National Hot Tea Month, a time when many people resolve to lose weight in the New
Year. Tea, which studies suggest may be associated with decreased risk of heart
disease and cancer, may also help in the battle against the bulge. A study published
in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that substances in tea may
promote weight loss by increasing the amount of energy spent by the body. The
researchers theorize that green tea, which has thermogenic properties that promote
fat oxidation as a result of the catechins contained in tea, may work together with
other chemicals to increase weight loss. This is potentially good news for the more
than half of Americans who are either overweight or obese and want to begin the New
Year by losing weight.
In the study, healthy young men (average age: 25) ate a typical Western diet for six
weeks and took either two green tea extracts (the equivalent of one cup of green tea)
plus 50 milligrams of caffeine; 50 milligrams of caffeine only; or a placebo, with each of
three meals a day. Those men taking the green tea extracts, equivalent to a total of
three cups of tea per day, experienced a significant increase in the number of calories
used in a 24-hour period -- resulting in more fats being metabolized by the body for
energy -- than the men taking only the caffeine or the placebo. There was no
difference in overall calorie or fat burning calories in the caffeine or placebo groups;
only the tea group showed the weight loss results.
Another study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, suggests that tea
catechins may help resist the development of obesity. Japanese researchers
compared the body weight and fat mass of mice that were fed a low-fat or high-fat diet,
with swimming or not and with or without tea catechins. Those mice that were fed a
high-fat diet with tea catechins but without exercise showed reduced fat accumulation
of 18 percent while exercise alone showed reduced fat accumulation of 14 percent.
Mice that exercised and consumed the catechins showed reduced fat accumulation of
33 percent.
In addition to possibly helping our bodies look better on the outside, tea may also help
our bodies on the inside. That's because black and green tea may help boost the
body's immune system, which provides the body's natural ability to fight viral infections
such as cold and flu. Research reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences found that people who drank 20 ounces of black tea per day (the
equivalent of approximately three cups) produced five times the amount of
germ-fighting cells as those who drank coffee. This suggests that tea drinkers may
have a better chance of fighting off an infection than non-tea drinkers.
"The evidence continues to mount associating tea consumption with reduced risk of
heart disease and cancer, and healthy weight. Indeed, it appears that tea may offer a
powerhouse of disease-fighting potential," says Jenna Bell-Wilson, Ph.D., RD,
Assistant Professor of Clinical Allied Medicine, The Ohio State University Medical
Center. "And knowing that the resolutions we're most likely to stick with beyond
January are those that require small changes in behavior, it only makes good sense to
choose a beverage like tea, which may give you this health boost, over something
else."
A multitude of research suggests that drinking tea should be included as part of a
healthy diet and may contribute to overall health. The most recent findings, published
in the December 2005 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that women
who consumed two or more cups of tea daily over a period of time lowered their risk of
ovarian cancer by 46% compared with women who never or seldom consumed tea.
The study found that each additional cup of tea consumed per day was associated
with an 18% lower risk of ovarian cancer. Other research connecting tea with potential
health benefits include studies that suggest:
* Cardiovascular health benefits, including reduced risk of heart attack,
stroke and improved blood vessel function.
* Reduced risk of certain cancers, including colorectal and skin cancers
* Reduced levels of oxidative DNA damage and increases in antioxidant
levels in blood stream
* Oral health benefits, as researchers believe certain compounds in tea
may inhibit bacteria that cause bad breath and plaque, and the fluoride
content in tea supports healthy tooth enamel
"January's National Hot Tea Month can serve as a reminder to do something healthy
for ourselves, like brew a hot cup of tea, which may provide a variety of health
benefits, serve as a weight loss aid and help to ward off persistent cold and flu
germs," said Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Council of the USA. "What more could
you ask for in a beverage."
Source: Tea Council of the USA
Back to Green Tea Research or Buy Tea
Green Tea | Oolong Tea | Black Tea | White Tea | Herbal Tea
| Buy Tea using PayPal! Imperial Tea Garden accepts payments with Visa, Master Card, American Express and PayPal |
| Copyright 2003 - Imperial Tea Garden All Rights Reserved |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Green Tea Research