Resume: From helping improve attention and staving off cognitive decline, to improving immune system function, researchers are exploring the many health benefits tea has to offer.
Source: Pollack Communications
Leading nutritional scientists from around the world gathered yesterday to present the latest evidence supporting tea’s role in promoting optimal health.
With new findings from the international scientific community consistently lending credence to the health properties of tea, symposium speakers provided a comprehensive update on recent research on the benefits of tea consumption on human health.
As the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, more than 159 million Americans drink tea on any given day.
“There is a growing body of research from around the world showing that drinking tea can improve human health in many ways,” said symposium chair Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, active professor emeritus in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. from Tufts University. .
“True teas, including black, green, white, oolong and dark, can make a significant contribution to promoting public health. The evidence presented at this symposium reveals results, ranging from suggestive to convincing, on the benefits of tea in cancer, cardiometabolic diseases, cognitive performance and immune function.”
The chemistry in your cup
Tea contains flavonoids, natural compounds that have antioxidant properties. Tea flavonoids provide bioactive compounds that help neutralize free radicals that can damage elements in the body, such as genetic material and lipids, and contribute to chronic disease. Tea also contains L-theanine, an amino acid that, for the most part, is found only in tea.
Tea and immune function
“Tea can help boost your immune system and increase your body’s resistance to disease,” says Dayong Wu, MD, PhD, Laboratory of Nutritional Immunology at the USDA Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Tufts University.
“In case you do get sick, the tea can help your body respond to illness more efficiently by getting rid of the infection and can also ease its severity when it does occur.”
In a comprehensive review of the published data on this topic presented at the symposium, Wu concluded that green tea and catechins have been shown to help the host fight a variety of pathogens by decreasing the ability of the pathogen to infect the host and help the host’s immune system. the system kicks in.
Green tea/catechins have also been shown to improve autoimmune disorders by promoting self-tolerance, suppressing autoantigen-induced inflammatory attack, and enhancing tissue repair.
Tea and Cognitive Function
When it comes to cognitive function, it turns out that tea can offer significant benefits. “There is strong evidence that tea and its components appear to be beneficial under stressful conditions. The deepest cognitive domain that tea appears to target is attention and alertness,” explains Louise Dye, PhD, Professor of Nutrition and Behavior at the University of Leeds.
“With these effects on attention, tea is an optimal beverage of choice during a time of heightened stress and exhaustion around the world.”
In her review of published research on this topic, Dye revealed that evidence from randomized controlled trials supports the conclusion that tea consumption may produce short-term acute beneficial effects on attention as measured by objective tests such as the mind shift test. attention and in subjective alert reports. Studies consistently show the beneficial effects of a high dose of L-theanine, along with a lower dose of caffeine, on the performance of attention tasks.
These findings indicate that the unique combination of caffeine and L-theanine found in tea may improve attention.
Tea and the prevention of cognitive decline
Without effective drug treatments for dementia, prevention is key. It is estimated that 40 to 50% of dementia could be prevented by changes in lifestyle factors.
In a review of published research on tea and cognitive decline, Jonathan Hodgson, PhD, a professor at Edith Cowan University’s Nutrition Research Institute, explains that “there is growing evidence that as little as 1 or 2 cups of tea a day day could significantly reduce the risk of vascular dementia and potentially Alzheimer’s disease.”
Recent high-quality data from long-term prospective cohort studies indicate that higher tea intake, from as little as 1 cup a day to 5 or 6 a day, is associated with a lower risk of dementia. Data from these studies also find that moderate intake of flavonoids present in tea is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline.
The maximum benefits of tea can be obtained with as little as 2 to 4 cups per day, with little additional benefit at higher intakes.
The results of these studies also suggest that the protection provided may be stronger against vascular dementia, one of the most common forms of dementia.
Tea and cancer prevention
Examining the existing data on tea and cancer prevention, higher tea intake may reduce the risk of some types of cancer. There is evidence that tea flavonoids can act through antioxidant, antiangiogenic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, in addition to modifying the profile of the intestinal microbiota. Tea is a beverage rich in flavonoids, which are bioactive compounds with various anticancer properties in experimental studies. Suggestive evidence indicates that tea consumption may reduce the risk of bile duct, breast, endometrial, liver, and oral cancers.
“Although more research is needed to determine the exact dosage, the conclusion we can share is that higher tea consumption may reduce the risk of some forms of cancer,” says Raul Zamora-Ros, PhD, Principal Investigator of the Unit. of Nutrition and Cancer of IDIBELL.
Tea and Cardiovascular Health
Cardiometabolic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, are the leading cause of death worldwide, and tea consumption may be inversely associated with adverse cardiometabolic outcomes, based on results from population studies.
Based on a wide variety of scientific research designs, 2 cups of unsweetened tea per day has the potential to mitigate the risk and progression of cardiometabolic disease in adults.
In an extensive review on cardiovascular health and tea, research showed that each daily cup of tea was associated with an average 1.5% lower risk of all-cause mortality, a 4% lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD ), a 2% lower risk of CVD events, and a 4% lower risk of stroke events.
“When you look at all the different biomarkers and mechanisms that tea affects, this hearty beverage is one that consumers can easily add to improve their diet and create a healthier, longer life for themselves,” explains Taylor Wallace, PhD, Principal and CEO at Think Healthy Group and Professor in the Department of Food and Nutrition Studies at George Mason University.
Tea and dietary guidance
To support the growing evidence that tea is a health-promoting beverage, clearer recommendations are needed in the current U.S. dietary guidance. “There may be other herbs and botanicals that may provide health benefits, but none some of them have been studied as systematically as Camellia sinensis, the true tea,” says Mario Feruzzi, PhD, Professor and Section Chief of Developmental Nutrition in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
“With true teas (white, green, black, and oolong), it’s thousands of years of traditional use, 60 to 70 years of systematic study that, in the last 15 to 20 years, has increased to the point where we have very definitive data.
The dietary guide will provide more precise and relevant direction for consumers in the context of the diversity of tea and other flavonoid-containing foods.
About this research news on diet and cognition
Author: cristina decken
Source: Pollock Communications
Contact: Christina Deecken – Pollock Communications
Image: The image is in the public domain.
original research: Findings to be presented at the 6th International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health
