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.

Green tea is made from the dried leaves of the Asian plant Camellia sinesis and is drunk widely across Asia. The rates of many cancers are much lower in Asia than other parts of the world, which has led some to link the two. Laboratory studies have shown that extracts from green tea, called polyphenols, can stop cancer cells from growing. But results from human studies have been mixed. Some have shown a protective effect while others have failed to find any evidence of protection.

In July 2009, the Oxford-based research group Cochrane published a review of 51 studies on green tea and cancer which included over 1.5 million people. They concluded that while green tea is safe to drink in moderation, the research so far is conflicting about whether or not it can prevent certain cancers.

Dr I-Hsin Lin, of Shan Medical University, found that among smokers and non-smokers, people who did not drink green tea were more than five times as likely to get lung cancer than those who drank at least one cup of green tea a day.

Among smokers, those who did not drink green tea at all were more than 12 times as likely to develop lung cancer than those who drank at least a cup a day. Researchers then analysed the DNA of people in the study and found certain genes appeared to play a role in the risk reduction.

Green tea drinkers, whether smokers or non smokers, with certain types of a gene called IGF1, were far less likely to develop lung cancer than other green tea drinkers with different types of this gene. Yinka Ebo, of Cancer Research UK, said the findings should not be used as an excuse to keep smoking.

“Smoking tobacco fills your lungs with around 80 cancer-causing chemicals. Drinking green tea is not going to compensate for that. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to make up for the harm caused by smoking by doing other things right like eating a healthy, balanced diet. The best thing a smoker can do to reduce their risk of lung cancer, and more than a dozen other cancer types, is to quit.”

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.

Investigators from the University of Sydney in Australia and their colleagues searched for relevant studies regarding the association between coffee, decaffeinated coffee, or tea and diabetes between 1966 and July 2009. They identified 18 studies reporting on the association between coffee consumption and diabetes, which included information on nearly 458,000 participants. They also found 6 studies on the link between decaffeinated coffee and diabetes and 7 studies on the association between tea and diabetes. The investigators found that increased coffee consumption was linked to decreased diabetes risk, with every additional cup of coffee contributing to a 7 percent reduction in the excess risk of diabetes.

Similar significant inverse associations were observed with decaffeinated coffee and tea and risk of diabetes. While this meta-analysis suggests a protective effect of coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea against the risk of diabetes, these findings need to be validated in randomized clinical trials.

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.

No word yet on whether green tea-flavored ice cream and candy have the same effect.

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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.

Green tea is widely consumed in many Asian countries, including China and Japan. Dr Niu and the team investigated 1058 relatively healthy elderly men and women. About 34 per cent of the men and 39 per cent of the women had symptoms of depression, according to the study that was published in the December issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A total of 488 participants said they drank four or more cups of green tea a day, 284 said they downed two to three cups daily and the rest reported having one or fewer cups daily.

According to the researchers, the apparent effect of drinking more green tea on alleviating symptoms of depression did not fade after they factored in social and economic status, gender, diet, history of medical problems and use of antidepressants. By contrast, there was no association between consumption of black or oolong tea, or coffee, and lower symptoms of depression.

A green tea component, the amino acid theanine, which is thought to have a tranquillising effect on the brain, may explain the “potentially beneficial effect” shown in the current study, Dr Niu noted. However, further studies were needed to confirm whether greater green tea intake actually had antidepressant effects, the researchers said.

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.

For decades a major goal of neurological research has been finding a way to prevent the formation of and to break up and destroy amyloid plaques in the brains and nervous systems of people with Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases before they wreak havoc.

Amyloid plaques are tightly packed sheets of proteins that infiltrate the brain. These plaques, which are stable and seemingly impenetrable, fill nerve cells or wrap around brain tissues and eventually (as in the case of Alzheimer’s) suffocate vital neurons or brain cells, causing loss of memory, language, motor function and eventually premature death.

To date, researchers have had no success in destroying plaques in the human brain and only minimal success in the laboratory. One reason for these difficulties in finding compounds that can dissolve amyloids is their immense stability and their complex composition.

Yet, Duennwald experienced success in previous studies when he exposed amyloids in living yeast cells to EGCG. Furthermore, he and his collaborators also found before that DAPH-12, too, inhibits amyloid production in yeast.

In their new study, the team decided to look in more detail at the impact of these two chemicals on the production of different amyloids produced by the yeast amyloid protein known as PSI+. They chose this yeast amyloid protein because it has been studied extensively in the past, and because it produces varieties of amyloid structures that are prototypes of those found in the damaged human brain. Thus, PSI+ amyloids are excellent experimental paradigms to study basic properties of all amyloid proteins.

The team’s first step was to expose two different amyloid structures produced by yeast (e.g., a weak version and a strong version) to EGCG. They found that the EGCG effectively dissolved the amyloids in the weaker version. To their surprise, they found that the stronger amyloids were not dissolved and that some transformed to even stronger versions after exposure to EGCG.

The team then exposed the yeast amyloid structures to a combination of the EGCG and the DAPH-12 and found that all of the amyloid structures broke apart and dissolved.

The next steps for the research team will be to explore the mechanism and potency of such a combinatorial therapy for the treatment of diverse neurodegenerative diseases.

“Our findings are certainly preliminary and we need further work to fully comprehend the effects of EGCG in combination with other chemicals on amyloids. Yet, we see our study as a very exciting initial step towards combinatorial therapies for the treatment of amyloid-based diseases,” says Duennwald.

Authors of the study include: Martin L Duennwald and Chan Chung from Boston Biomedical Research Institute and Nicholas P Lopreiato, Elizabeth A Sweeny, M Noelle Knight, James Shorter, Huan Wang, and Blake E Roberts from the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

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.

She compared the results of 47 independent studies to reach her conclusions and found that the caffeine contained in drinks can lead to a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as making drinkers feel more alert and cheerful.

She said the optimum caffeine intake for an adult was 400 mg a day, equivalent to eight cups of tea or four coffee.

A Houston, Texas woman shares her secrets of longevity, and she’s an expert on the subject. Juanita Black just turned 105. Her love of green tea has brought her an unexpected bonus.

“I don’t drink coffee or anything,” says Black. “I drink green tea. I love it!”

During a news report at her birthday in October, Black shared tales of her youthful spirit, even her birthday trip to a local strip club. She was adamant that drinking green tea aided her long life. The tales made the rounds coast to coast, from CNN to Perez Hilton.

Black caught the attention of Judah Sanders, the CEO of Dragon Pearl Whole Teas, a California company of about 100 miles noth of Santa Barbara, which grows tea organically without pesticides or chemicals.

Sanders flew in to serve hot tea to Juanita in the same tradition as great emporers would receive more than a thousand years ago.

“You inspire me,” Sanders told Black.

“When we saw that she was loving green tea,” Sanders said, “We thought we need to be a part of this. We need to give her some tea and get her going with the very best tea.”

Black and her granddaughter Amy are enjoying the royal treatment.

“All my friends drink green tea because she’s 105 and she’s told us the trick,” Amy said.

“We wanted her to live to 110 or 115,” said Sanders, “And this is the way you’re going to do it by having very clean very pure tea.”

The owners of Dragon Pearl say they plan to keep supplying Black with all the green tea she can drink. As you can imagine, she says she’s very happy about the news.

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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.

To get the most from your green tea, preparation is all-important, says Dr. Oz. While black and herbal teas can be prepared with boiling water and steeped for 4 to 6 minutes, green tea should be prepared with cooler water and steeped for 2 to 3 minutes for optimal flavor. Specifically, use water that has been taken off the boil for about a minute to encourage the best extraction.

Then, drink and ponder the benefits.

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.

Researchers examined 2,613 men and 3,984 women with an average age of 73, measuring the level of plaque in their carotid artery using ultrasound.

Carotid plaque was found in 45 per cent of women who were not tea-drinkers, in 42.5 per cent of women who drank one or two cups of tea daily and in only 33.7 per cent of those reporting drinking three or more cups a day.

Even women with high blood pressure appeared to gain protection from tea, found the study by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, based in Paris and Lille.

The report said it was unclear why men did not benefit from tea-drinking in terms of lessening plaque build-up.

One theory is that tea might in some way complement oestrogen, the female hormone which is believed to help protect women against heart problems.

Dr Catherine Hood, from the industry-backed Tea Advisory Panel, said: “Findings in dietary studies are often confounded by other factors such as presence of disease in those taking part and other lifestyle behaviours.

“However, in this study, findings did not depend on whether the women were smoking or not, whether or not they took hormone replacement therapy and whether or not they suffered from vascular disease.

“No significant interaction was found with level of education, or fruit and vegetable intake.”

Victoria Taylor, heart health dietician for the British Heart Foundation, said the findings, published in the medical journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, And Vascular Biology, are “good news for people who enjoy a regular cuppa” and called for further tests on the subject.

Almost 80 per cent of Britons are tea-drinkers, getting through an estimated 165million cups every day.

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.

“The big class of chemicals in tea are flavonoids—a natural class of antioxidants that are found in many natural plant-derived foods,” explains Dr. Kenneth Mukamal, an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “In American diets, black tea represents probably the single biggest source of flavonoids.”

Documented health benefits from black tea include:

• Enhanced immunity to flu virus. In a recent study, people who gargled with a black tea extract solution twice per day showed a higher immunity to flu virus compared to the control group.
• Better Bone Density. Statistics indicate that regular tea drinkers (ten years or more) have higher bone mineral density in their spines than non-tea drinkers.
• Heart attack prevention. In one study, people who drank a cup and a half of tea per day were almost 40% less likely to suffer a heart attack, compared to tea abstainers.
• Cutting risk of death after first heart attack. Drinking more than two cups of tea each day decreased the risk of death following a heart attack by 44 percent.
• Slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s. Studies suggest that tea inhibits the activity of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which breaks down the chemical messenger, or neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Alzheimer’s is characterized by a drop in acetylcholine, and current pharmaceutical drugs are designed to counteract this effect.

Then, there’s the whole range of oral health matters…

“We have found that the [antioxidants] in black tea will suppress the growth of bacteria in the mouth that cause cavities and gum diseases,” says Christine Wu, professor of periodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. “These will inhibit or interfere with the attachment of bacteria to the tooth surface.”

While the anti-microbial properties of black tea have been known for some time, would you believe that it has recently been shown to be effective against the dreaded bacterium Bacillus anthracis—the cause of anthrax, a potentially fatal disease and feared bio-terrorism agent? Research published in the March, 2008 issue of Microbiologist says just that!

A joint American-Welsh team of scientists led by Professor Les Baillie of Cardiff University and Dr. Theresa Gallagher, Biodefense Institute, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Baltimore, reports that English Breakfast tea has the potential to inhibit the activity of anthrax, so long as it is taken black.

“Tea works,” said Prof. Baillie, who bought his anti-bioterror materials from the local supermarket. “You can drink enough to have an effect. We found that special components in tea such as polyphenols have the ability to inhibit the activity of anthrax quite considerably.” Other research indicates that black tea also inhibits Botulinum toxin, the most potent natural occuring toxin, derived from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Baillie’s group is now testing the effects of tea on antibiotic resistant superbugs, as well.

That serious biodefense types are looking at natural therapies against anthrax and superbugs, reminds us once again of the adage that the Good Lord gave us all the medicines we would ever need in the world of plants.

Michael D. Shaw
Exec VP
Interscan Corporation