BBC News

Drinking green tea may offer some protection against lung cancer, say experts who studied the disease at a medical university in Taiwan. The latest work in more than 500 people adds to growing evidence suggesting the beverage has anti-cancer powers. In the study, smokers and non-smokers who drank at least a cup a day cut their lung cancer risk significantly, a US cancer research conference heard.

The protection was greatest for people carrying certain genes. But cancer experts said the findings did not change the fact that smoking is bad for health.

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HealthandAge By June Chen, MD

In previous research, consumption of coffee, both caffeinated and decaffeinated, and tea has been linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Now, according to a meta-analysis published in the December 2009 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a high intake of coffee or tea is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes.

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Holy Kaw

Researchers believe that the thousand-year old drink, green tea, may be contain certain compounds useful in treating head and neck cancers. There will be almost 48,000 Americans diagnosed with some form of head and neck cancer this year, and head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world. Although the research is in its early stages, Emory University researchers note that lab results have shown that an extract from green tea in combination with a current cancer drug can help inhibit certain precancer cells that cause the growth of tumors.

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Australia Herald Sun

Elderly people who drink several cups of green tea a day were less likely to suffer from depression, probably due to a “feel good” chemical found in this type of tea, Japanese researchers said. Several studies have linked drinking green tea to lessening psychological problems and Dr Kaijun Niu, of Tohoku University Graduate School, and colleagues found men and women aged 70 and older who drank four or more cups of green tea daily were 44 per cent less likely to have symptoms of depression.

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Science Dialy

Scientists at Boston Biomedical Research Institute (BBRI) and the University of Pennsylvania have found that combining two chemicals, one of which is the green tea component EGCG, can prevent and destroy a variety of protein structures known as amyloids. Amyloids are the primary culprits in fatal brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. Their study, published in the current issue of Nature Chemical Biology (December 2009), may ultimately contribute to future therapies for these diseases.

“These findings are significant because it is the first time a combination of specific chemicals has successfully destroyed diverse forms of amyloids at the same time,” says Dr. Martin Duennwald of BBRI, who co-led the study with Dr. James Shorter of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

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Press Trust of India

Want to live a long and healthy life? Make sure that you drink at least eight cups of tea everyday, says a new study.

Researchers have found that the caffeine contained in drinks can lower the risk of heart attack and stroke, and improve the brain power of drinkers by making them feel more alert and cheerful, the London ‘Daily Mail’ reported.

Lead author Dr Carrie Ruxton, a nutrition expert, said her work “debunked” some of the myths around caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee and cocoa. Read the rest of this entry »

Examiner.com

So you know that green tea is great for your body, but it may also be a great brew for your brain.

Over the years, studies have linked the consumption of green tea to a lower probability of developing heart disease and certain types of cancer. It has been associated with increased weight loss when on a diet. And it is said to fight inflammation and support cell rejuvenation.

In a recent study, researchers also found that older people who drank at least 2 cups of green tea per day were nearly 50% less likely to develop cognitive impairment compared to the people who drank 3 or few cups per week. Read the rest of this entry »

Daily Mail – UK

By JENNY HOPE

Women who drink three cups of tea a day may be protecting themselves against heart attacks and strokes.  They are less likely to have plaques – dangerous build-ups of fat and cholesterol – in their arteries, researchers found. Only around one third of women who drank three or more cups of tea a day had plaques in a neck artery, compared with almost half of those who drank no tea.

However, the French study appeared to show that men who were regular tea-drinkers did not reap the same health benefits. Read the rest of this entry »

HealthNewsDigest.com – New York, NY, USA

By Michael D. Shaw, Contributing Columnist – HealthNewsDigest.com

We’re all familiar with the beverage derived from the leaves and leaf buds of the plant Camellia sinensis. Black tea is fermented, in a process whereby the leaves are allowed to oxidize and develop deep flavors. While biological pigments known as flavonoids are present in all teas, those in black tea are considered to be more complex.

More than 4,000 flavonoids have been identified, and they have been found to impart beneficial effects on human health, including antiviral, anti-allergic, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antioxidant activities.

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