Green Tea Brews Cardiovascular Benefits
A large Japanese study of the effects of green-tea consumption on mortality suggests that several cups a day may help prolong life. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that people who drank five or more cups of green tea daily had a 16% lower risk of death from all causes than those averaging less than one cup a day. (A cup in Japan is 3.3 ounces, not 6-8 as in the US.)
The apparent benefits were more pronounced for death from cardiovascular disease-a 26% lower risk for the most avid green-tea drinkers-and seemed particularly effective against clot-related strokes.
The exact mechanism of green tea’s health benefits is unknown, but researchers suggested it may be related to the high levels of polyphenols-natural antioxidants-in green tea. (see also the benefits of polyphenols in their prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease)
Note: Herbal teas do not have the same compounds as black and green tea and do not have the same potential benefits. Also, while sugar and lemon are not thought to affect the antioxidants in tea, milk may. It appears that the protein in milk could potentially bind to the antioxidants and thereby render them unavailable to the body. That’s not a problem with iced tea because it’s generally not drunk with milk. But it could help explain why the Irish and the Britishwho drink more tea than anyone else in the world but traditionally drink it with milk-do not appear to be more protected against heart disease and cancer than people in other countries.
