ScienceDaily: Put the kettle on! How black tea (and other favorites) may help your health later in life

“A daily cup of tea could help you to enjoy better health late in life -- however if you're not a tea drinker, there are other things you can add to your diet. The key is flavonoids, which are naturally occurring substances found in many common foods and beverages such as black and green tea, apples, nuts, citrus fruit, berries and more.

They have long been known to have many health benefits -- however new Edith Cowan University (ECU) research shows they may be even better for us than previously thought. The Heart Foundation supported a study of 881 elderly women (median age of 80), which found they were far less likely to have extensive build-up of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) if they consumed a high level of flavonoids in their diet.

AAC is the calcification of the abdominal aorta -- the largest artery in the body which supplies oxygenated blood from the heart to the abdominal organs and lower limbs -- and is a predictor of cardiovascular risk such as heart attack and stroke. It has also been found to be a reliable predictor for late-life dementia."

Some Insights From This Article

• A cup of tea a day may keep the doctor away? Recent studies compiling all the studies of tea in the past show that tea has numerous benefits in helping our health and promoting longevity.

• The key ingredient is flavonoids and associated antioxidants which help combat oxidative stress (which can lead to various metabolic diseases/cancer) and helps our digestion! Tea also contains compounds that increase fat metabolism, especially when they contain caffeine.

• It’s not just tea that has these beneficial compounds, some alcoholic beverages like wine, chocolates (particularly the darker varieties) and fruits (such as grapes) have these as well!

Do you like drinking tea? Which kind?

Full article is here!

#Tea #Antioxidants #Health