How to live longer: Research has shown how consuming one beverage every day can add years to your life. What drink is it? And what does the research say?
The Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine, in Japan, conducted am 11-year study involving 40,530 people.
The participants were aged between 40 and 79 years old – without a history of stroke, coronary heart disease or cancer – at the beginning of the experiment.
The findings revealed that green tea consumption is associated with reduced mortality.
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This means that those who enjoyed a cup of green tea lived longer than those who didn’t.
Another study published in the journal ScienceDirect also found green tea consumption to be associated with a reduced mortality rate.
The researchers, who included those who worked in the Department of Epidemiology in Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, investigated a total of 14,001 elderly citizens.
The elderly people were aged between 65 to 84 years old, and they all completed a questionnaire that included the frequency of green tea consumption.
They were followed for up to six years, with results revealing those who consumed up to seven cups of green tea, compared to those who consumed less than one cup of green tea per day, lived longer.
One benefit of green tea, which may contribute to how it prolongs life, is that its properties can reduce a person’s risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The Division of Health Sciences in Warwick Medical School concluded that evidence suggests green tea has favourable effects on the risk associated with cardiovascular diseases.
Green tea was found to produce statistically significant reductions in total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol and blood pressure.
What makes LDL cholesterol bad cholesterol?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains “cholesterol travels through the blood on proteins called lipoproteins”.
High levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) “bad” cholesterol raises a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke.
This is because too much LDL cholesterol can build up on the walls of blood vessels, otherwise known as “plaque”.
A risk factor for high levels of LDL cholesterol is obesity.
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Good thing then that green tea has also been shown to help people lose weight.
The research and development team at Unilever conducted a randomised placebo-controlled trial of 182 moderately overweight Chinese people.
People were given controlled drinks each day, with results recorded at the beginning of the study, one month later, then two months later and three months later.
The researchers concluded that consuming two cups of green tea, full of catechin, lead to an improvement in body composition and reduced abdominal fat.
Catechin is a natural antioxidant found in green tea.
It helps to prevent cell damage and can reduce the formation of free radicals in the body.
Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCC) is the catechin found in green tea.
It’s the property researchers believe contributes to green tea’s powerful health benefits.
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