This study explored the hypothesis that children who regularly drank green tea would have fewer cases of influenza those children who did not drink green tea. They chose children for two reasons: there is little research with children and influenza prevention; the children lived on or near tea plantations in Japan.

With over 2,600 children in the study, the researchers discovered that children who drank, on average, five cups of green tea per week had significantly fewer cases of influenza when compared to those who drank almost no green tea. Those who drank the most green tea (about one cup per day) also had significantly fewer sick days from school. The results were so conclusive that the researchers concluded that the regular consumption of green tea is protective against influenza infections during the influenza season.

Source/Read More: DailyHerald.com

Tea contains high levels of compounds that combat the absorption of fat, Japanese scientists have found. These compounds, called theaflavins and thearubigins, stopped weight gain when given to rats on a high-fat diet, the journal Nutrition reported this month.

There is a catch, though: no milk or sugar in the tea.

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“We found no overall association between green tea intake and the risk of breast cancer among Japanese women who have habitually drunk green tea,” said lead researcher Dr. Motoki Iwasaki, from the Epidemiology and Prevention Division at the Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo.

“Our findings suggest that green tea intake within a usual drinking habit is unlikely to reduce the risk of breast cancer,” he said.

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Study Finds Green Tea Offers No Protection From Breast Cancer

Green tea really does seem to speed up metabolism, but recent studies show that the resulting weight loss is modest, bordering on trivial, says Craig Coleman, associate professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. “It sounds like it should work, but when the rubber hits the road in clinical trials, it doesn’t really pan out.”

Coleman co-authored a 2009 review of 15 studies on green tea and weight loss. On average, subjects who consumed green tea products lost an extra 1 to 3 pounds compared with those who took a placebo. Study participants generally consumed 300 mg. or more of EGCG every day, and the length of the studies ranged from three to 24 weeks. Because of such meager results, Coleman says, he “would not recommend patients take green tea extract in any form for weight loss.”

But even modest weight loss can be a positive step, says Arpita Basu, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Basu was the lead author of a 2010 study of 35 obese people who consumed either 4 cups of strong green tea, two capsules of green tea extract (totaling 460 mg. of EGCG) or two placebo pills every day for eight weeks.

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Green tea sets weight-loss industry abuzz

Japanese researchers evaluated data regarding citrus and green tea consumption from 42,470 people (average age 59 years) in the Ohsaki National Health Insurance Cohort. After nine years of follow-up, 3,398 people had been diagnosed with cancer. Five categories of citrus consumptions were identified: never, occasionally, 1 to 2 times weekly, 3 to 4 times weekly, and daily.

Daily consumption of citrus was associated with an 11 and 14 percent reduction in the incidence of all types of cancer for both men and women, respectively, when compared with never having citrus. Researchers also noted that drinking one cup of green tea daily along with the citrus boosted the anticancer effect to 17 percent.

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Citrus and Green Tea Daily Offer Anticancer Protection

Researchers at the University of Maryland and Rutgers University in New Jersey had rats drink green tea-laced water for one to three weeks, then injected them with a bacteria designed to cause arthritis. A control group of rats drank plain water before receiving the bacteria. The findings? The rats who drank the green tea had significantly lower levels of rheumatoid arthritis than the plain-water drinkers. These findings are in line with those of two other studies done on humans that point to green tea’s role in curbing inflammation. In one study, cells from people with rheumatoid arthritis were extracted and treated with a green-tea component. When they were later subjected to an inflammatory chemical that causes joint damage, the cells were able to fight off the destruction. Cells that hadn’t been pre-treated with the green-tea component could not do that. In a second study, the salivary glands of water drinkers were compared with those of green-tea drinkers. The tea drinkers’ salivary glands had fewer white blood cells-which are infection fighters-than the others. Over time, the salivary glands of the tea drinkers also showed less damage.

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Green Tea May Protect Against Rheumatoid Arthritis

Green tea has been studied extensively for its potential in the weight management category, with the compound epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) highlighted as a key component.

Three mechanisms have been proposed: EGCG could increase energy metabolism and fatty acid oxidation; inhibit fat cell development (apidogenesis); and/or reduce lipid absorption and increase fat excretion.

It has also been reported that caffeine must also be present as, for EGCG to aid weight loss, a stimulated nervous system is needed.

The new research, performed in collaboration with scientists from Universitary Medicine Berlin, supports the link between caffeine and EGCG, but also found that the compounds produce similar effects. A daily dose of 300 mg of EGCG was associated with a 33 per cent increase in fat oxidation, while a daily dose of 200 mg caffeine was linked to a 34.5 per cent increase. When male subjects were given a combination of EGCG (300 mg) and caffeine (200 mg), fat oxidation increased by almost 50 per cent, added the researchers.

Source: NutraIngredients.com

The study suggests that smokers and nonsmokers who consume a minimum of one cup of green tea per day appear to have a nearly 13-fold and fivefold lower risk, respectively, for developing lung cancer than smokers and nonsmokers who don’t drink any green tea.

The observed protective effect seems to result from the strong “antioxidative property” of polyphenols found in green tea preparations.

Source: HealthScout

Conducted at the Virginia Commonwealth University, the study involving Protandim could lead to a new treatment for this serious condition.

Pulmonary hypertension is a health condition characterized by high blood pressure in the circulation between the heart and lungs and can result in death due to right heart failure. In this study, pulmonary hypertension was induced in the animals through a drug and by creating an oxygen-poor environment (hypoxia). Animals pre-treated with the five herbal formula in Protandim experienced strong cardioprotective effects.

The herbal formula was shown to protect the heart by increasing the expression of protective genes and by preventing the formation of scar tissue, or fibrosis, in the heart. The study showed these herbs also prevented capillary loss in the heart muscle of the animals, preserving right heart function despite the continuing stress of pressure overload. The study also indicates the death of heart cells was prevented and a significantly lowered osteopontin (OPN-1) levels by more than 50%. Osteopontin is a factor that leads to scar tissue formation, a cause of heart failure.

Source: FreshPlaza

According to Gu Linong, director of the Department of Endocrinology at Peking University People’s Hospital and a member of Herbalife Nutrition Committee, starting your day off with a cup of aloe juice, nutritious milkshake and green or black tea will give you all the essential components of a healthy breakfast. These include carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals, water and fiber.

Gu insists that the three drinks provide it all, reports Chinaview.cn.

He said: “The three cups provide enough nutrition and energy and it’s low-fat, low-calorie and low-cholesterol”.

Aloe juice is a well-known laxative, which helps eliminate toxins accumulated overnight, while the special milk shake has protein powder and milk or soybean milk, with fruit or nuts.

The study claims that this three-drink regiment is also an effective way to control weight.

Source: MedIndia