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Tea to the Rescue: Drinking Tea can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer

This article from the Herald Sun in Australian describes a recent study on tea and ovarian cancer. It seems tea drinkers may have a lower risk of getting ovarian cancer. Yet another reason to enjoy tea!

 Drinking tea 'cuts ovarian cancer risk'

WOMEN have another reason to enjoy a daily cuppa, as an Australian study shows drinking tea can cut the risk of ovarian cancer.

The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) studied the food and lifestyle habits of about 2700 women, half of whom had a history of ovarian cancer.

Total tea intake emerged as the key difference between the groups, a result that adds to a growing body of evidence which has suggested the household staple can play a role in warding off cancer.

"The main finding of the study was that women who drank four or more cups of tea per day - and that was any type of tea, black, green or herbal - may have a reduced risk of ovarian cancer by 30 per cent," said QIMR's Dr Christina Nagle.

Dr Nagle said the study found tea was broadly beneficial, and there was no added benefit from drinking green tea despite it being promoted as the "healthiest kind of tea".

How tea worked to reduce a person's cancer risk was not fully understood, she said, and several clinical trials were under way in the US to find what was responsible.

"Tea is rich in antioxidants, which are an important part of a healthy diet," Dr Nagle said.

"We assume it is the antioxidants in tea that are beneficial in terms of reducing risk of cancer."

Despite the positive results Dr Nagle said it was too early to place tea consumption alongside smoking and sun exposure, two key factors in a person's overall risk of developing cancer.

Studies on animals have suggested tea could inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer cells, she said, though experiments designed to test the effect on humans had produced mixed results.

"Many studies show a beneficial effect of drinking tea, in terms of reducing the risk of different types of cancer," Dr Nagle said.

"But it seems to be that in studies in humans it is inconsistent ... I think the jury is still out."

Almost 1200 Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, while the disease claims about 800 lives.

Dr Nagle's research is published in the journal Cancer Causes Control.

Tea to the Rescue: Green Tea May Boost Eye Health

Macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts seem to go hand in hand with aging, for many people. It seems that certain foods when eaten in our younger years can stall the effects of aging on our  bodies, and a recent study suggests that green tea can help boost eye health.

This study appears in  Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and was reported by Stephen Daniells on Nutra-Ingredients. Steeped Tea offers a lovely selection of green tea varieties and flavours, so why not add green tea to your selection of daily beverages and start to improve your eye health, in addition to other health benefits!

Tea compounds may boost eye health

The antioxidant compounds present in green tea and associated with a myriad of health benefits can penetrate the tissue of the eye and potentially protect against common eye diseases, says a new study.

Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong report that catechins from tea could be detected in significant amounts in various eye structures. According to findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the retina of rats absorbed the highest levels of gallocatechin, while the aqueous humor tended to absorb epigallocatechin.

Furthermore, the potential beneficial effects of green tea catechins in reducing harmful oxidative stress were sustained for up to 20 hours.

Eyes on the market

A report from Frost & Sullivan last year stated that the global market for eye health ingredients was dominated by antioxidants, including lutein, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin and bilberry.

The demand for such products is increasing as consumers turn to nutrition to protect against blinding diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.

The global human nutrition market for lutein is predicted to reach $125m within three years, said F&S, with growth underpinned by rising demand for eye health supplements from the aging US population, increasing healthcare costs, more research efforts backing ingredient benefits, and improvements in technology for methods of ingredient extraction, said the report.

“Although many antioxidants have been studied in the eye, to the best of our knowledge this is the first paper to show distribution of individual catechins after ingestion of green tea extract and to evaluate their in vivo antioxidative effects in various parts of the mammalian eye,” wrote the researchers behind the new study.

Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin.

Study details

Chi Pui Pang and colleagues fed laboratory rats green tea and subsequently analysed the eye tissues. Catechins were indeed observed in the eye tissues, say the researchers.

“Many studies on the antioxidative effect of green tea focused on EGCG,” report the researchers. “However, in this study, we found its tissue level was not high. Gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin, and epicatechin, on the other hand, substained high levels in many compartments.

“Although these compounds have a reducing power similar to or lower than that of EGCG, use of a mixture, such as green tea extract, was better than use of a single catechin because of lower cost and synergic effects on antioxidation and bioavailability,” they added.

“Our results indicate that green tea consumption could benefit the eye against oxidative stress,” concluded the researchers.

Yet Another Use for Tea - Raising Frogs!

This news article comes from the BBC News Online.

 Exotic frogs reared in redbush tea in Gloucestershire

Eleven poison dart frogs have been raised by UK experts in pint glasses of redbush tea.

Amphibian keepers at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Gloucestershire, reared the amphibians from tadpoles in the brew to help keep them disease-free.

The caffeine-free African tea contains fungus-beating antioxidants, according to amphibian keeper Jay Redmond.

Mr Redmond said: "Every morning just before I made my cup of tea I made sure the tadpoles have had theirs too!"

Shop-bought tea

The yellow-banded and green-banded poison dart frog tadpoles were raised in pint glasses, topped up with the shop-bought redbush tea, which is sometimes called rooibos.

Some species of poison dart frogs, native to South America and among the most toxic on earth, are critically endangered.

A combination of deforestation, introduced species and a fungus which kills amphibians has damaged population numbers.

Mr Redmond added: "It is a bit of advice that people know in the industry that to keep them disease-free they should swim in redbush tea for the first few weeks of life."

Tea to the Rescue! Really?

The following article appeared in an August issue of the New York Times:

The Claim: Chamomile Can Soothe a Colicky Baby

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR

Published: August 31, 2009

THE FACTS

Colic — uncontrolled screaming and crying in an otherwise healthy infant — can be one of the most stressful parts of raising a newborn.

While its cause is uncertain, there is evidence that it stems in part from gastrointestinal discomfort. That may explain why chamomile tea, which according to research can ease intestinal spasms, has long been a home remedy for colic. Various studies have examined its usefulness, finding it simple, inexpensive and fairly effective.

One report by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2007 reviewed two of those studies, including a randomized clinical trial that involved 68 colicky but otherwise healthy infants, ages 2 to 8 weeks. One group received either an herbal tea (served warm or cool) made primarily with German chamomile, and the other placebo tea. The scientists reported that each infant was offered either the tea or placebo with every bout of colic, up to 150 milliliters — a little more than half a cup — no more than three times a day. After a week, “parents reported that the tea eliminated the colic in 57 percent of the infants,” the researchers reported, “whereas placebo was helpful in only 26 percent. No adverse effects were noted in either group.”

Other studies have had similar results. Experts say allergic reactions to chamomile are rare, but one way to check is to swab a bit on the skin. If no redness develops, it should be safe.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Research suggests chamomile may ease colic.

Saved by Tea - Part 2

It seems a British shopkeeper defended herself against would-be burglars, thanks to her cup of tea.

Extra extra read all about it!

5FT SHOPKEEPER FIGHTS OFF THIEVES WITH A CUP OF TEA

Mrs Patel threw her tea at the thieves

Friday December 12,2008

By Dana Gloger

A PETITE woman shopkeeper fought off two knife-wielding robbers using her cup of tea.

Varsha Patel, 45, hurled the steaming cuppa into the face of one of the men then threw the empty mug at the other’s head.

Mrs Patel, who is just 5ft, was about to grab a bottle of whisky to throw at them too – but the pair fled with just a scratch-card dispenser between them.

Yesterday she told how she frightened off the balaclava-wearing burglars at the Kensworth Village Store in Beds, which
she runs with her husband Yogesh.

She said: “I was scared afterwards but at the time I just reacted on instinct.

“You don’t know how you will react in these situations until they happen but I have never been one to sit back and let people bully me.

“I am glad they ran away – I don’t know what would have happened if there had been a stand-off.”

Mrs Patel was in the shop on her own when the robbers attacked. She said: “They ran in and I just saw two arms coming at me as he tried to grab the scratch-card dispenser, which is glued to the counter.

“I think he said, ‘Give it to me’ but his voice was muffled by the balaclava.

“I was just about to take my first sip of tea and threw the contents in his face as he came towards me.

“He staggered back a bit and his friend was still hanging around so I threw my empty mug at his face. I stepped back to grab a bottle of spirits and then they backed off and ran out.”
She chased the men out of the shop but they made off in a blue Peugeot. The dispenser had around 1,000 Lottery scratch cards, which Mrs Patel immediately cancelled with Camelot.

Mr Patel, 50, said he was impressed with his wife’s bravery but upset that cowardly thieves had targeted a woman on her own.

He said: “I’m just so relieved she is OK. I get more scared about what could have happened each time I think about it.”

Mrs Patel said it was the first time robbers had targeted the shop, and her husband and children Sheena, 21, and Nishil, 18, were shaken. She said: “We always make sure neither of us are in the shop on our own in the evening but you don’t expect this to happen in broad daylight.

“I suppose you just need to be on your guard all the time.”

Bedfordshire Police are appealing for help with their inquiries into the incident.

If you have a "Saved by Tea' story, don't hesitate to share it by leaving a comment.

Happy sipping & blessings! - Ann