TEA IS KEY TO HEALTH

  Start sipping your way to better health. Tea has been used as a folk remedy for 5,000 years- to aid liver function, destroy typhoid germs, purify the body and preserve mental equilibrium- and now scientists are discovering it may have all those benefits and a whole lot more.

   Studies presented at the Fourth International Sientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health, hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this fall showed that tea can be key to healthful diet.

   " As a nutrition sientist, I consider tea as a healthy choice for three reasons: It meets hydration needs, it has no colories and it is really rich in phytonutrients ( plant- based substances ) that we know provide some human health benifits", said Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, director of the Antioxidants research Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston.

   From lots and lots of observational studies, it look like four to five cups a day will put you in the highest 20 percent for protection against heart disease and stroke. Those who drink four cups or more consistently have the lowest risk of heart disease.

   In animals, you can give absolutely mammoth amounts without harm, and in 5,000 years of human history there is no evidence of harm in healthy haman beings, within a tremendous range (of doses). Tea is caffeinated- it has about half as much caffeine as coffee. So if you are caffeine-sensitive, you may want to drink decaf, but there is no evidence to suggest any adverse consequence from tea consumption, in an otherwise healthful diet.

BENEFITS OF TEA:

   Various studies presented at the Fourth International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health showed that tea can:

1- Reduce risk of heart disease and stroke.

2- Lower your cholesteral.

3- Repair smoking-related DNA damage.

4- Prevent colon, rectal, pancreatic, stomach, prostate and oral cancers.

5- Lower risk of developing kidney stones.

6- Speed up metabolism.

7- Decrease body weight and fat.

8- Control blood sugar.

9- lower the risk of osteoporosis.

 THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE (December 4 - 2007)