Drinking two cups of green tea a day could, over time, halve a person’s risk of having the most common form of stroke, Australian researchers say.

Researcher Professor Colin Binns, of the School of Public Health at Curtin University in Western Australia, says their research shows people who drink at least one cup of green tea a day reduce their risk of ischemic stroke.

For those who drink more than two cups daily the risk is cut by as much as 60%.

“We can say if you are going to drink a beverage, then tea is the healthier option,” says Binns.

If green tea does not take your fancy, black teas also reduce risk, albeit not as much.

“We believe other kinds of tea are half as effective as green tea in reducing risk,” says Binns.

The findings, published this week in the journal Stroke, follow on from earlier research by the same group that found green tea also cuts ovarian and prostate cancer risk.

Binns says the results could help reduce the incidence of strokes, which account for more than five million deaths worldwide each year.

China study
The study tracked green tea consumption among ischemic stroke patients in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

Ischemic strokes, which are those caused by a clot that cuts off blood to the brain, account for about 70% of all strokes that occur.

The research, which included academics from the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and three Chinese hospitals, was conducted between 2007 and 2008.

The study interviewed 400 patients diagnosed as having had a stroke and 400 healthy people.

Binns says the choice of basing the research in southern China was important because the diet in that area has been relatively unchanged for the past 10-20 years, the population is homogenous and tea drinking is a traditional practice.

He says because people’s tastes in Australia are constantly changing, it would be hard to replicate the study here.

However, the researchers believe green tea would have the same benefits within a western diet.

A steaming cup of tea could help ward off the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, say U.K. scientists.

Laboratory tests found that regular cups of green and black tea inhibit the activity of certain brain enzymes that bring on Alzheimer’s, a form of generative dementia that affects an estimated 10 million people worldwide.

But the researchers are not sure if tea’s active ingredients would work in the body, particularly if they would reach the brain.

The research by the medicinal plant research centre at University of Newcastle upon Tyne, northeast England, is published in the journal Phytotherapy Research.

Scientists tested coffee as well as green and black tea. Coffee had no significant effect on the activity of enzymes associated with developing Alzheimer’s. But both green and black tea inhibited the enzymes.

According to the journal, tea inhibited the activity of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which breaks down the chemical messenger, or neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Alzheimer’s is characterised by a drop in acetylcholine.

Green tea and black tea also hindered the activity of the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase, seen in protein deposits found on the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s.

But green tea alone had a further effect, obstructing the activity of beta-secretase, which has a role in the production of protein deposits in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s.

The effects of green tea also last a week, scientists found, as against only a day for black tea.

“Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, tea could potentially be another weapon in the armory which is used to treat this disease and slow down its development,” said head researcher Dr Ed Okello.

“It would be wonderful if our work could help improve the quality of life for millions of sufferers and their carers.

“Our findings are particularly exciting as tea is already a very popular drink, it is inexpensive, and there do not seem to be any adverse side effects when it is consumed.

“Still, we expect it will be several years until we are able to produce anything marketable.”

While a close kindred of green teas, which seem to be ever-present in the news because of reports about it helping to prevent disease, white tea is not as well-known, and many people would be completely surprised to learn that white tea is actually considered to be more potent in its’ health giving properties than green tea extract.

White tea comes from the same plant that produces green teas and black tea, and is a specialty of the Fujian province in Southern China. It is unique in that this tea is considered the youngest of all teas because it is made from the new growth buds of the Camellia sinensis plant.

chinese tea
Being picked just before the buds have a chance to open means that it can only be harvested once a year and this makes it all the more scarce, and also much more expensive, than the other tea varieties that are derived from the same plant.

Once the buds are harvested, they go through very little processing and are not subjected to processing at all. As a result, those who have had the opportunity to try it enjoy its mellow and smooth taste.

While there is still much research to be done to verify reports, it is thought that, just as green teas are more powerful in its’ health giving properties than black tea because it goes through less processing, white tea has even more potent healing effects because of its’ purity and the fact that its’ components are most close to how nature created them. It seems to be much better than the more common chai tea.

green tea extract
Recent research that has been conducted revealed results that indicate that white tea potentially has the greatest potential for health benefits of any of the teas that are derived from the Camellia sinensis plant.

It is known that white tea is packed full of anti-oxidants, which are known to be very effective in combating free radicals and the considerable damage that they do to every function and system in the body.

A potent source of anti-oxidant, that is natural and without any observed side effects, can undoubtedly be beneficial to the body, even without having further research on specific areas.

According to various studies, the EGCG found in green and chinese tea can block mutation of cells, reducing cell damage; can inhibit growth of tumors; and can block liver enzymes which convert pro-carcinogens.

tea extract
Other benefits that have been reported are enhancing immune response, balancing and protecting the liver, slowing the aging process and beautifying skin, and inhibiting tooth decay

Anti-oxidants are powerful in their ability to fight free radicals and the damage that results from them, which it is known affects all the various functions in the body.

Because white is a very good source of anti-oxidants, and in fact is considered one of the very best sources, it makes sense to add a cup or two of white tea into your daily routine to help protect and improve your health.