Tea: Are Black Tea's Anti-Oxidants As Effective As Green Tea's?

Tea: Are Black Tea's Anti-Oxidants As Effective As Green Tea's?Copyright (c) 2007 Marcus StoutGolden Moon Teahttp://www.GoldenMoonTea.comIn recent years, scientists have been discovering the benefits ofdrinking tea. Tea's anti-oxidants have become the source of muchdiscussion for their ability to prevent disease and slow theaging process. We've learned that tea drinking can be a simpleway to help preserve your health.Most of the attention has been given to green tea. All types oftea come from the camellia sinensis plant, but the finishedproducts we drink are different because of the way the tea leavesare processed. Black tea is fully fermented, oolong tea ispartially 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 tobe healthier than other forms. Green tea's unfermented leavescontain all the plant's anti-oxidants in their natural state. Inblack tea, the converted anti-oxidants are referred to astheaflavins; green tea's anti-oxidants are called catechins.However, at least one study suggests that black tea'stheaflavins are equally as beneficial as the catechins in greentea. A study conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kongconcluded that the theaflavins in black tea are just as effectiveat scavenging free radicals as the catechins in green tea.The scavenging of free radicals is critical to maintaining ourhealth. These free radicals are created as a by product ofconverting the food we eat to energy. If they are not kept incheck, they wreak havoc on our bodies by damaging our cells andDNA. This leads to faster aging and a higher risk of manydiseases, including cancer, heart disease and stroke. They evenmake us look older.So, to prevent your risk of disease, doctors recommend that youhave a diet high in anti-oxidants. And, not all anti-oxidants arecreated equal. It's helpful to eat the foods that contain themost potent anti-oxidants. This includes pomegranates, tomatoesand blueberries. And, it also includes drinking tea each day.The attention that green tea has received for its naturalanti-oxidants has caused a significant rise in the consumptionand availability of green tea in the Western world. While greentea has always been the tea of choice in Asian countries, blacktea is far more popular in the west, though that is changing.However, black tea is still the most widely consumed beverage inthe west (after water) and is expected to remain so. The newsthat our favored black tea may be just as effective at preventingdisease 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. Asiancultures, where rates of cancer and heart disease are lowest,consume tea all day long. So, drinking a cup or two of tea a weekmay not be enough to provide you the health benefits you'relooking for.Therefore, it's important to find ways to make tea drinking aregular habit. Even if you're a morning coffee drinker, you mayfind that you can substitute a cup of tea for your second cup ofcoffee of the day.And, a cup of tea can be a very relaxing way to wind down justbefore bed. Because tea's caffeine doesn't seem to causejitters and increase heart rate the way coffee does, most peoplehave no problem drinking it before bed.In addition, you'll find lots of bottled teas available on themarket today. This form makes it simple to grab a bottle of teaand take it anywhere. Some of the health benefits you may gain bydrinking tea each and every day include: There is clear evidence that tea reduces our risk forcardiovascular disease. Tea helps reduce cholesterol levels andprevents the cholesterol that's in our bodies from turning intoartery clogging plaque. There have been many studies that link tea with a reduced riskof many forms of cancer, including colo-rectal cancer, breastcancer, uterine cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer and evenskin cancer. There have been studies that suggest that tea is healthy forthe teeth and prevents tooth decay. Some studies suggest that tea can positively affect mood andcognitive 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 likeAlzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Tea has been shown to speed up the metabolism and help oxidizefat, so it may help you lose weight.As research continues, it's likely that we'll find even moreways that tea can protect our health and slow down the agingprocess. And, now that it seems that tea can protect usregardless of whether we prefer green tea or black, it's eveneasier to be certain we're getting our daily dose of tea!----------------------------------------------------------Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea) green tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/blacktea) and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com

Tea: Can Tea Drinking Reverse Endothelial Dysfunction?

Tea: Can Tea Drinking Reverse Endothelial Dysfunction?Copyright (c) 2007 Marcus StoutGolden Moon Teahttp://www.GoldenMoonTea.comEndothelial dysfunction is a precursor to heart disease. It isoften seen years before actual heart disease. In fact, it isestimated that about half of those over the age of 40 haveendothelial dysfunction.The endothelium is the cells that line the inner surface of allblood vessels including arteries and veins. When the endotheliumis functioning properly, it is responsible for mediation ofcoagulation, platelet adhesion, immune function, and control ofvolume and electrolyte content of the intravascular and extravascular spaces.When the endothelium does not function properly, veins andarteries have difficulty dilating properly. These problems arethought to be the precursor to atherosclerosis, which is aleading cause of heart disease.Several things can cause endothelial dysfunction, includingcigarette smoking and diseases like high blood pressure anddiabetes. Diets high in fat and cholesterol can also affect thefunction of the endothelium.One interesting piece of research surrounding protectingendothelial function is a study reported by the American HeartAssociation. This study examined patients who already hadcoronary artery disease. Sixty-six patients with heart diseaseparticipated in the study, which provided them with a beveragesupplement each day.Some of the participants received a supplement of black tea whileothers received only water. They were tested 2 hours afterreceipt of their first supplement and 4 weeks after they had beenreceiving the supplements daily.This study concluded that tea had a positive effect on arterydilation as early as two hours after consumption. In addition,long term consumption of tea helped artery dilation long term, aswell. The patients who received the water supplement showed noimprovement.In addition, some patients were treated with a supplement of justcaffeine, to try and determine if the caffeine in tea was theingredient that provided the effect.The study showed that the patients receiving a caffeinesupplement did not show the improvement in artery dilation thatwas seen by the participants who drank tea. So, we know that teacontains other important substances that help improve endothelialfunction besides just caffeine.The substances likely responsible for tea's ability to improveendothelial function are tea's anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants areimportant to our bodies for many reasons. The most importantfunction of anti-oxidants is the scavenging of free radicals.Free radicals are oxygen containing molecules that are formed asa by-product of our digestive process.Left unchecked, they can damage our cells and DNA, causingdamage, aging and disease. But, anti-oxidants scavenge these freeradicals before they can cause damage.In addition to the powerful anti-oxidants contained in tea,fruits and vegetables contain anti-oxidants as does coffee, wineand chocolate. Ensuring that your diet is full of anti-oxidantsis important to many aspects of your health.Your diet is important, in particular, to preventing or treatingheart disease. In addition to ensuring that your diet is rich inanti-oxidants, there are some other things you can do to helpyour heart. It's important to remove trans fats from your dietentirely.Read product labels looking for the words hydrogenated orpartially hydrogenated. If you see these words in theingredients, there are trans fats, which are believed to have aparticularly negative effect on your endothelial function.Reduce your level of other saturated fats, too. This meansreducing the amount of red meat and egg yolks you consume; makingthe bulk of your protein come from fish, poultry and low fatdairy products. Choosing lean meats that are lower in fat andcholesterol can make a big difference in the health of yourheart.Another important factor in reducing endothelial dysfunction iscontrolling your weight. Eat right and get regular exercise toensure that your weight falls within a normal range. Losingweight can help control your blood pressure and cholesterollevels, too, which are important to ensuring proper endothelialfunction and preventing heart disease. Exercise is especiallyimportant.Exercise can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, help youlose weight and help you gain muscle. Gaining muscle mass canhelp you burn more calories even when resting and can help youstay strong as you age. Aim for some form of cardiovascularexercise 3-5 times a week and strength training 2-3 times aweek.And, of course, don't forget your daily dose of tea. Whether youlike it hot or iced, tea is a great way to help get your dose ofanti-oxidants and protect your heart. You can choose black tea,or if you prefer, green tea. Green tea, in particular has beenlinked to the prevention of many diseases, including some formsof cancer.And, while black tea is still the most popular form of tea in theWestern world, green tea is gaining popularity rapidly because ofits health benefits. But, whatever tea you choose, you can besure that you're protecting your health, and your heart.----------------------------------------------------------Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea) green tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/blacktea) and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com