Green Tea Rocks!
By
From time to time, I’d like to share the latest health news with you. I’ve been a major advocate of preventative health care for most of my adult life. I’m not one to try the latest, greatest fad diet or believe everything that comes out of a talk show host’s mouth. I want proof. Indisputable evidence. I will only relay information to you that is based on hard scientific research. In other words, I won’t tell you to stand on your head with a fig in your mouth to attain an instant face-life.
I’m on my soapbox now (can’t you see me?), as I extol the benefits of green tea to you. And, no, you don’t have to give up your morning coffee, espresso, cappuccino, or latte.
The latest studies out of Okayama University in Japan simply show this: of the 12,000 men and women, aged 65 to 84, they studied over a six-year period, those who drank seven cups or more of tea each day lowered their risk of dying from heart disease by as much as 82 percent for women and 70 percent for men.. That same study was the first ever to show that over a lifetime of drinking green tea, there was a reduction in the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Those that did develop the disease, lowered their risk of dying from it by 31 percent.
For any of you who want to look and feel younger (and who doesn’t?), recent studies indicate that most long-term green tea drinkers have a younger biological age than non-tea drinkers, and may add as much as five years to their lifespans.
While all types of teas are beneficial, green tea contains between 30 and 40 percent of polyphenols (a type of antioxidant), while black tea only contains about 3 to10 percent.
So, before I get off my soapbox, let me recommend (not necessarily in this order) these great foods to help you fend off disease and slow-down the aging process: green tea, dark chocolate (70%+ cocoa), a glass of red wine, berries like acai, blueberries, and strawberries, pomegranate juice, walnuts, salmon, and (sorry, but I have to mention it), broccoli.
Until we meet again…
