Tea may protect against heart disease
New research indicates that Tea is a healthier drink than water
This is based on research carried out by Scientists from Kings College London, which has been published by the prestigious European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Tea is a rehydrator not a dehydrator!
There is a popular myth that drinking tea dehydrates your body. This has now been proven wrong by the research. In fact the opposite is true, and drinking tea can have a beneficial effect of rehydrating the water content of the body’s tissues.
How much tea should I drink?
The study concluded that the optimum amount of tea should be three to four cups per day. Apparently, drinking this quantity of tea is just as good for you as drinking the same amount of water. In fact there may be additional benefits which are not available to avid water drinkers.
The secret ingredient of tea
Drinking plenty of tea may provide protection against heart disease and some forms of cancer. This is due to high content of ‘flavonoids’ in tea which have been shown to promote good health. Flavenoids are an anti-oxidant compound which have been found in certain foods, including tea, which neutralise the action of free radicals which are other compounds that circulate within the body causing damage to the cell structure.
Additional Health Benefits of drinking Tea
According to the lead author and Public health nutritionist, Doctor Carrie Ruxton plus her team of colleagues at Kings College London, drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids AND contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it.” It can actually reduce the chances of having a heart attack. Other studies have suggested that drinking tea can protect against cancer, although this effect is less proven.
Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, due to the fluoride content in tea, plus bone strengthening.
Confusion over Caffeine
Studies carried out on the effects of caffeine on the body have found that very high doses of Caffeine can cause dehydration. Therefore many people assume that drinks containing caffeine must dehydrate the body. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid.
Are there any potential problems associated with tea drinking?
There is no evidence that drinking tea is in any way harmful to health. However, research indicates that tea can impair the body’s ability to absorb iron from food. This means that people who may be susceptible to anaemia should avoid drinking tea close to meal times.
Average tea consumption
So, just how much tea is drunk by the average person? Dr Ruxton’s team found that average tea consumption was just under three cups per day. She said the increasing popularity of soft drinks meant many younger people were not drinking as much tea as before. “Tea drinking is most common in older people, the 40 plus age range. In older people, tea sometimes made up about 70% of fluid intake so it is a really important contributor,” she said.
Drinking plenty of tea may provide protection against heart disease and some forms of cancer.
Heart Disease risk from Dietary Fat
The hectic pace of modern life often dictates the type of food that we consume. And with the wealth of information about healthy eating bombarding us every day from all directions, most of us probably feel pretty guilty about the seemingly impossible trade-off between getting through our daily schedule, and eating a healthy balanced diet.
The importance of a good diet cannot be overstated. If managed well, our diets can help to reduce the risk of our developing heart disease. For patients already suffering from coronary heart disease, eating a good diet can also help protect and guard against more serious heart problems, such as hypertension, heart attack and stroke.
How eating healthily can help protect your heart
Although it may take a little more time, effort and expense, the up-side of eating a healthy diet can bring enormous benefits to our overall well being, including:
- lower body weight
- lower blood cholesterol level
- lower blood pressure
- lower risk of Atherosclerosis (build up of fatty deposits in the arteries)
- lower risk of blood clots
- lower risk of hypertension
- lower risk of heart attack and stroke
So, regularly consuming a well balanced diet can help you improve your overall health and can help protect against other life threatening conditions such as some types of cancer and diabetes.
What exactly is a healthy diet?
A healthy diet contains plenty of fruit and vegetables and starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice; and is low in fat (especially saturated fat), salt and sugar.
The problem is, it is difficult to adhere to a healthy diet if your lifestyle results in having little available time to shop and cook wholesome home made meals made with fresh natural ingredients. The problem is made worse if your lifestyle is continuously mobile, as the choice of healthy eating on the go, especially from fast food outlets is even more restricted.
The problem with fat
Too much fat in your diet particularly saturated fat, can increase your blood cholesterol levels which can increase your risk of developing coronary heart disease. To help reduce your cholesterol level you should cut down on the total amount of fat you eat and replace saturated fats with monounsaturates and polyunsaturates and cut down on foods containing trans fats.
The hidden risks of dietary fat intake
This is a simple study where we compare the actual amounts of dietary fat which is consumed by two imaginary people – one who does not consider the health implications of what they’re eating, and one who is health conscious and takes care about what they are eating and it’s implications for their long-term health.
The table below shows two different food types for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The comparison is between the normal diet and the healthy option.
Keep in mind that the UK daily recommended intake of dietary fat is 95 grams for men and 70 grams for women.
It can be seen that the healthy option weighs in at a healthy 65 grams of fat allowing a ‘bonus’ of up to 30 grams for the odd cookie or candy bar!
Now take a look at the ‘normal’ diet based on classic popular meals. This shows that without even realising it we can way exceed the healthy daily limits just by consuming one or more meals of our everyday regular favourite foods. In the extreme example our imaginary person has consumed over 2 days worth of fat in just one day, with 216 grams!
This shocking example is being played out every day by millions of men and women in the United Kingdom, United States and most other Westernised countries.
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Normal Diet
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Healthy Option
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Breakfast
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Fat (g)
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Fat (g)
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Scrambled eggs (3 eggs)
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12
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Cereal
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5
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Bacon (4 slices)
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8
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Milk
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5
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Sausage Links (4)
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16
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Honey
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0
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Hash Brown
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8
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Breakfast Totals
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44
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10
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Lunch
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Quarter Pound Hamburger with Cheese
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26
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Sandwich
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15
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Fries
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30
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Potato Chips
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10
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Chocolate Triple Thick Shake
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10
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Apple
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0
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Lunch Totals
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66
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25
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Dinner
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Pizza (half stuffed crust 14 inch pepperoni)
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76
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Healthy Pizza
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30
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Fries
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30
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Salad
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0
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Salad
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0
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Dinner Totals
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106
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30
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Daily Total grams of Fat
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216
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65
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