9th September, 2008: Green Tea May Provide Relief for Dry Mouth
For centuries, the health benefits of green tea have been widely speculated. Tea drinkers can agree on its delicious taste and because of that, have continued to drink it. Recently, though, studies have emerged linking green tea to the prevention of the autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s Syndrome.
Sjogren’s Syndrome, or dry mouth, is a relatively common disorder in which people do not produce enough saliva. According to research at the Medical College of Georgia, in an experiment with mice with the same condition, those treated with green tea extract produced much better results than other test groups.
Lead researcher, Dr. Stephen Hsu explains that “30 percent of elderly Americans suffer from degrees of dry mouth,” so there truly is a need to find some sort of remedy. One notable effect of the experiment was the short time it took for the healing benefits of green tea to work. Dr. Hsu said, “Those treated with the green tea extract beginning at three weeks, showed significantly less damage to those glands over time.”
So, tea drinkers, now in addition to all the tasty and relaxing effects of tea, it might actually be keeping you healthy. Maybe milk and green tea can unite in their cause to “do a body good” like in this green tea ice cream recipe!
Posted by Linda at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
1st September, 2008: Where did the summer go?
It happens every year — we think to ourselves: Is it Labor Day already? Although traditionally thought of as the symbolic end of summer, Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September since the 1880s as a federally recognized “day off” honoring American workers.
What are your plans this Labor Day? Perhaps attending a traditional end of the summer barbecue? Taking one last dip in the ocean before heading home? Traveling to New York City where the first Labor Day Parade was held? Maybe you’ll catch some of the 43rd annual Muscular Dystrophy Telethon hosted by Jerry Lewis? We recently spoke about this event, and Muscular Dystrophy in relation to green tea, in our blog, Raise a Cup or Seven to Green Tea Health and Hope.
Whatever your plans, before you begin putting most of your white clothes away, be sure to relax with a tall, cool glass of your favorite iced tea! For great iced tea recipe ideas, go here.
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
20th August, 2008: Is Green Tea Heart Healthy?
A recent Time article poses the question ‘Does Green Tea Help the Heart?’ Something many new and long-time tea aficionados are interested in knowing in light of the flurry of recent health claims. Dr. Nikolaos Alexopoulos of the Athens Medical School in Greece and his team answer with a new study. “The study…was a randomized trial involving the diameter measurement (dilatation) of the brachial artery of healthy volunteers on three separate occasions - after taking green tea, caffeine, and hot water (for a placebo effect). The measurements were taken at 30, 90, and 120 minutes after consumption. Dilatation of the brachial artery as a result of increased blood flow (following a brief period of ischaemia of the upper limb) is related to endothelial function and is known to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk.
“Results showed that endothelium-dependent brachial artery dilatation increased significantly after drinking green tea, with a peak increase of 3.9 per cent 30 minutes after consumption. The effect of caffeine consumption (or hot water) was not significant.”
More simply, arteries were kept flexible and relaxed allowing better blood flow and providing protection against changes in blood pressure.
“The American Heart Association does not yet include the beverage in its dietary recommendations, however, more studies like this one” and other insights provided by experts, like the information previously presented in this Bigelow® post or this Bigelow® post with videos may change that. But why wait? Be proactive. Think tea, drink green.
Posted by Ruth at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
13th August, 2008: Raise a Cup or Seven to Green Tea, Health, and Hope
It is a certain thing that everyone knows about Jerry’s Kids. After all, Mr. Lewis has devoted himself to a lifetime of raising the public’s awareness of Muscular Dystrophy; offering information and support through the auspices of MDA, to the families who live with it in their midst each day.
The optimism and the research never stop. A recent study suggests that a high intake of green tea might protect against muscle cell death in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Researchers have found that an intake equivalent to seven cups of green tea per day decreased muscle wasting in one type of leg muscle in dystrophic laboratory mice.
There is an increase in oxidative damage when dystrophin is abnormal, and it has been suggested that the tea acts as an antioxidant and helps to combat oxidative stress. This result has not been tested in humans but green tea is generally safe for individuals with neuromuscular conditions to drink.
So, even though more research is required to back up these initial findings, you can raise a cup of green tea to hope and health.
Posted by Ruth at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
6th August, 2008: Green Tea Extracts Might Put Obstructive Sleep Apnea to Rest
Is obstructive sleep apnea a nightmare for you? If it is, you are not alone. This disorder affects more than 12 million people in the United States, but there is some suggestion that green tea extracts might allow sufferers to rest easier.
ScienceDaily reports— “Chemicals found in green tea may be able to stave off the cognitive deficits that occur with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a new study published in the second issue for May of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.” The study, conducted on 106 male Sprague-Dawley rats, suggests that Oral supplements of green tea–derived polyphenols reduces the neural susceptibility to intermittent hypoxia during sleep.
The researchers divided the rats into two groups that then underwent intermittent oxygen depletion during the 12-hour “night” cycle for 14 days. One group received drinking water treated with GTP; the other received plain drinking water. Afterwards, researchers tested the two groups for markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as for performance in spatial learning and memory tasks — namely a water “maze” in which the rats had to memorize the location of a hidden platform. The IH-rats that received the green tea-treated water performed significantly better in the water maze than the rats that drank plain water. “GTP-treated rats exposed to IH displayed significantly greater spatial bias for the previous hidden platform position, indicating that GTPs are capable of attenuating IH-induced spatial learning deficits,” Dr. Gozal wrote, adding that GTPs “may represent a potential interventional strategy for patients” with sleep-disordered breathing.
Perhaps a cup of green tea may be worth a try if restful sleep is eluding you…
Posted by Ruth at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
