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It's In the Bag Drinking green and black tea shows promise in slowing the rates of disease and illness 
In a growing number of medical studies, tea - green, black and otherwise - is revealing its potential ability to slow the advance of prostate cancer, reduce the severity of arthritis, lower bad cholesterol and more. "Tea is a plant-based beverage. When tea leaves are heated, phytonutrients - natural substances found in fruits and vegetables that are believed to benefit health and reduce the risk of disease - are extracted," says Jennifer Haas, director of nutrition services for the Nova Medical Group & Urgent Care Center, Inc., Ashburn, Va. "Therefore, most teas benefit the health." In a recent study by researchers at Louisiana State University, 26 men with prostate cancer were given four capsules of polyphenon E - equivalent to 12 cups of brewed, concentrated green tea - for an average of 34.5 days. The results were a significant reduction in serum levels markers that indicate progression of prostate cancer, with some men experiencing a reduction in these markers greater than 30 percent. And in Italy, a recent year-long clinical trial conducted by researchers demonstrated that consumption of green tea polyphenols reduced the risk of developing prostate cancer in men with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (a microscopic lesion in the prostate, which is thought to be a precursor to prostate cancer), according to a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research, Philadelphia. "I am not very surprised by this benefit since polyphenols, active ingredients in green tea, have been shown in several in vitro and animal studies to fight against prostate cancer by inhibiting certain growth factors and other chemicals that promote tumor growth," says Teerawong Kasiolarn, a naturopathic doctor at the Nova Medical Group. Other studies illustrate the potential benefits of drinking tea. In research funded by the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, investigators at the University of Maryland and Rutgers University found that drinking green tea significantly reduced the severity of arthritis in laboratory rats. And in a study published last November, researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center reported that green tea extract demonstrated promise as cancer prevention agent for oral cancer in certain patients. Drinking high amount of green tea (three to 10 cups per day) has been shown to significantly increase good cholesterols or serum High-Density Lipoprotein (HDLs) and reduce bad cholesterols or Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDLs), Kasiolarn says. Black tea has also shown positive effects on cardiovascular system by reducing total cholesterols and LDLs. In addition, Kasiolarn says, "green tea consumption has also found to improve liver profiles by reducing liver enzymes, hence protecting the liver." Black tea also has been cited in several studies for its potential health benefits. "Research has found that drinking black tea can significantly improve blood flow compared to drinking water," Haas says. "However, adding milk to the tea decreases the effect." In another study, Haas says that following a four-week testing trial of 11 coffee drinkers and 10 tea drinkers, a blood sample analysis found that the production of anti-bacterial proteins was up to five times higher in the black tea drinkers than in the coffee drinkers - an indicator of a stronger immune response. "Many tea researchers agree that although many studies on tea show some promising possibilities, much work and study is still needed to get more specific or conclusive evidence of tea and potential health benefits in humans," says Paragi Mehta, a registered dietitian, Dallas. What does all this mean? The answer is simple: there's more to tea than meets the eye. |
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