By Mary Jane Dittmar
When was the last time you had a cup of tea? According to researchers at the 5th International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health, held on September 20, 2012, at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), you may be overlooking a pretty remarkable health-improvement aid. Leading nutrition scientists from around the world who attended the symposium presented their research findings on the role of tea as a promoter of good health. Worldwide, tea is the second most popular beverage; water is the first.
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“The many bioactive compounds in tea appear to impact virtually every cell in the body to help improve health outcomes, which is why the consensus emerging from this symposium is that drinking at least a cup of green, black, white, or oolong tea a day can contribute significantly to the promotion of public health,” noted Professor Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory, who chaired the meeting, and Jean Mayer of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.
Listed below are some of the research findings reported:
• Heart Health. Numerous studies suggest that tea supports heart health and healthy blood pressure and appears to be associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart attack. Claudio Ferri, MD, University L’Aquila, Italy, reported on a study in which black tea was able to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive study subjects.
Black tea also was reported to appear to counteract the negative effects of a high-fat meal on blood pressure and arterial blood flow. Hypertensive subjects were instructed to drink a cup of tea after a meal that contained 0.45 grams fat/lb. body weight. The results suggest that tea prevented the reduction in flow mediated dilation (FMD), the artery’s ability to increase blood flow that occurs after consuming a high-fat meal. A previous study by Ferri had showed that tea improved FMD from 7.8 to 10.3 percent and reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure by -2.6 and -2.2 mmHg, respectively, in study participants.
• Body Weight. The catechins (antioxidents) in tea may provide a benefit in maintaining body weight or promoting weight loss. Researchers from Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands, reviewed the published data on this topic and found that when subjects consumed green tea and caffeine, the energy expended and the fat oxidized with 24 hours increased. The increase in caloric expenditure is equal to about 100 calories per 24-hour period; fat oxidation increased by an average of 16 percent over a 24-hour period.
• Mental Sharpness. Participants in a study conducted by Unilever R&D, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands, self-reported increased alertness. Other studies have shown benefits involving tiredness , self-reported work performance, mood, and creative problem solving. Symposium presenter Suzanne Einöther, PhD, Unilever R&D, summed it up: “In our study with adult subjects, we found drinking tea improved attention and allowed individuals to be more focused on the task at hand. These effects were found for two to three cups of tea consumed within a time period of up to 90 minutes.”
Some Other Tea Facts
• Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and one of the most thoroughly researched for its potential health benefits.
• Tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Thousands of tea’s bioactive compounds have been identified, quantified, and studied for their mechanisms of action. Many of these compounds act as antioxidant flavonoids.
• Other compounds found in tea are more resistant to digestion and travel mostly intact to the lower gastrointestinal tract, where they provide a probiotic effect by enabling beneficial bacteria to thrive, according to new research presented by Alan Crozier, PhD, of the University of Glasgow, UK.
• Tea drinking may help to prevent cells from becoming cancerous.
• Tea may enhance the effect of chemotherapy drugs used for treating certain cancers.
• The flavonoids in tea, among other compounds present in tea leaves, may help ward off inflammation and vascular damage linked to chronic conditions associated with aging.
The symposium was sponsored by the American Cancer Society, American Institute for Cancer Research, American Society for Nutrition, American College of Nutrition, The Linus Pauling Institute, American Medical Women’s Association, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Tea Council of the USA.
As the research base on tea continues to grow, it seems as though we have little to lose and perhaps something to gain by fitting a cup or a few cups of tea into our day—ideally, as a replacement for higher-calorie, non-nutritious beverages. About 20 percent of the total calories in the typical American daily diet come from beverages.
ASBESTOS REMINDER
The 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) marked a few weeks ago brings to mind more vividly the adverse health effects numerous responders and civilians have been suffering as a result of being exposed to the hazard.
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One of these hazardous materials is asbestos. Kesey Rathbun of The Mesothelioma Center reminds us that the organization offers information on the dangers of asbestos exposure and mesothelioma cancer and the importance of raising awareness of the dangerous risks of this toxic dust. A featured article about the hazardous toxins in the air during the 9/11 attacks is at http://www.asbestos.com/news/2012/09/11/mesothelioma-compensation-act-9-11.
MARY JANE DITTMAR is senior associate editor of Fire Engineering and conference manager of FDIC. Before joining the magazine in January 1991, she served as editor of a trade magazine in the health/nutrition market and held various positions in the educational and medical advertising fields. She has a bachelor’s degree in English/journalism and a master’s degree in communication arts.
