There is a strong undercurrent driving people towards ‘healthy living’ of late – for good reason, of course. The world is becoming more and more instant and automated, whether we talk about food, work, travel or chores. So, the need to consciously make an effort to improve our lifestyle and diet has become all the more accentuated and, inadvertently, complex. There’s an increasing demand to figure out what the best diet is for your body type, what the best workout is for your lifestyle, what the best practices are for your mental health, and so on. While you’re figuring all of this out – and while it’s still World Health Day Week – we thought we’d offer you a little more insight into how our favourite herb, Camelia sinensis, could give you some support on your health journey.
We’ve already talked about the positive impact of antioxidants in tea on overall well-being, and how tea can boost oral health, in previous posts. So, let’s take a look at some non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that drinking tea could contribute towards keeping at bay or alleviating.
Diabetes
Tea can help prevent the incidence of diabetes both directly and indirectly. Direct contribution may occur by reducing the absorption of glucose from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, and by increasing the effectiveness of insulin after a meal. Indirect contribution may occur by reducing inflammation and obesity, both of which are risk factors for diabetes. (Ref: Tea and Your Health by Prof. Tissa Amarakoon*)
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
Tea is known to reduce oxidative stress and blood cholesterol levels, as well as to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, chronic inflammation, blood clotting and diabetes. All of these are significant risk factors for CVD. Hence, by reducing the risk of these conditions, tea drinking naturally lowers the risk of developing CVD. (Ref: Tea and Your Health by Prof. Tissa Amarakoon*)
Stroke
By lowering the risk of blood clotting and other conditions mentioned above, drinking tea could also the risk of stroke and subsequent complications such as paralysis. (Ref: Tea and Your Health by Prof. Tissa Amarakoon*
Cancer
Research shows that regular consumption of tea could help to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer (oral cavity, thyroid, nasopharynx, lungs, gall bladder, gastric system, biliary duct, prostate, and ovaries, and recurrence of breast cancer). This is mostly linked to the action of flavonoids present in tea, which can act in several ways to counter the initiation or progression of cancer. These mechanisms include neutralising carcinogens that could cause DNA mutations, by interfering with the mechanism by which cancer cells can evolve into malignant tumours, and by reducing metastasis (spread of cancer to other parts of the body), thereby increasing the effectiveness of treatment. (Ref: Tea and Your Health by Prof. Tissa Amarakoon*)
*If you would like to learn more about the science behind the health benefits of drinking tea, click here to get your own copy of Prof. Tissa Amarakoon’s comprehensive compilation – Tea and Your Health.
