If you are over a certain age and drink copious amounts of green tea, then you could find that you are enjoying a healthier old age than is usually expected. And there is plenty of scientific evidence to back this up. Recent studies looked at men and women who were over the age of 65, noted what they ate and drank and discovered that the more green tea they consumed, the more mobile and self-sufficient they were. As reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, those who consumed at least five cups a day were found to be 33% less likely to develop some sort of functional disability, while three to four cups a day saw a 25% reduction of development. People who drank green tea on a regular basis were shown to be healthier, despite having a good social network around them, or having lived a relatively healthy lifestyle beforehand, according to a Tohoku University study.
But this is nothing new to the Chinese who have been drinking green tea for many centuries. They use it to cure many ailments such as headaches, to control weight, lower stress and they have found that it is excellent in controlling blood pressure and helps to keep LDL cholesterol levels stable. The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). It is thought that it is the EGCG present in green tea that is beneficial as this is a powerful antioxidant. It also is important in that this compound inhibits and destroys the growth of cancer cells. The Chinese believe that it is the way green tea is processed that keeps most of the natural EGCG present in the tea, as green tea is made by tea leaves are steamed, therefore the EGCG health benefits of green tea are still within the leaves, whilst with black teas, their leaves are fermented and this causes less EGCG.
There is one catch however, and this is if you are taking the blood thinning drug warfarin. The vitamin K in green tea has been known to stop the drug from working properly so you should not drink green tea if you have to take this drug. It is not known whether green tea affects the brain or the muscles as the benefits to older people allow them to undertake more menial tasks without any problems, such as daily activities like getting up, dressing themselves and getting something to eat etc If the tea enables more muscle control, could there be a connection between the tea and the brain functioning of people who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease or Parkinsons? If the tea merely strengthens the muscles, and does not affect the brain so much, it is still a welcome benefit, but what many ailments could be cured if there were some correlation between brain function and the green tea? Shouldn’t someone be looking into this? The lead researcher of the team at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Yasutake Tomata, did find that in one recent study, the green tea extracts seem to boost leg muscle strength in older women. So perhaps it does only affect the muscles and not the brain, as hoped.
Whichever is the case, it beings some relief to older people and that is only a good thing. To buy green tea from Twinings, visit here.
