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Tea means many different things to many
different people. Tea is a pleasant, socially acceptable, drink enjoyed
by millions of people across all continents. Tea is the world’s
most popular beverage, over 3 billion cups of tea are drunk everyday
and it is the second most common drink in the world.
Can tea-time increase one’s lifetime?
Life style related diseases such as cancer, and cardiovascular disease
are also characterized as ageing related diseases. It is now medically
accepted that black tea, which comes from the same leaves contains
the same anti ageing compounds found in green tea. Therefore premature
death particularly death caused by cancer can be prevented by daily
consumption of tea in sufficient amounts.
The possible protective effect of tea in the potential reduction of
cardiovascular disease has been attributed to the presence of ‘flavonoids’,
which act as potent antioxidant, preventing the formation of the more
‘atherogenic’ oxidized low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
resulting in blood circulation improvements.
The other beneficial effects claimed for tea are normalization of
thyroid hyper function and anti- inflammatory actions.
Drinking black tea between meals may help reduce cavities and plaque
and also help control bacteria. The black tea infusion can inhibit
or suppress the growth of bacteria that promotes cavities and affect
their ability to attach to the tooth.
And also new evidence supports the idea that people who consume one
to three cups of tea have a decreased risk of developing Parkinson’s
disease.
Green tea polyphonic treatment to human skin has been found to prevent
the formation of ultraviolet light B – induced ‘pyrimidine’
dimmers in DNA
The nutritional value of tea !
Taken on its own tea has no calories. However when milk is added to
it as enjoyed by 98% of the population, it provides a number of vitamins
and minerals. Tea also provides 70% of our daily fluoride intake,
which helps develop strong bones and protect against teeth decay.
Tea is also a good supplement for water to ensure that sufficient
fluids are consumed everyday.
Tea provides very little energy and hence it can be used in low calorie
diets. Nutritionally tea brews contains marginally useful amounts
of protein (1-2 %), carbohydrates (4-5 %), amino acids, lipids and
vitamins. Tea has a high mineral content of 5% and the minerals identified
are Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Manganese, Zinc and Iron.
Beneficial health effects of tea have been demonstrated in animal
experiments and some human studies.
Our conclusions show that tea seems to fit the description of an ideal
component of an adequate diet and should be consumed together with
a variety of other foods and drinks to promote healthy living. |
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