Make Tea, Not War

Make Tea, Not War.

Yerba Mate Health Benefits

Yerba Mate tea has shown possible cancer resistance

Mate tea compounds ‘may have anti-cancer properties’

Yerba Mate herbal tea studies have shown that it may have anti-carcinogenic properties, a study from the University of Illinois says.

“Compounds found in traditional yerba mate tea could help to reduce the risk of bowel cancer, new research suggests.

Scientists at the University of Illinois conducted laboratory tests with bioactive compounds equivalent to those found in one cup of mate tea from South America.

They found that caffeoylquinic acid (CQA) derivatives brought about changes in the DNA of bowel cancer cells, ultimately causing their death.

Dr Elvira de Mejia, associate professor of food chemistry and food toxicology at the University of Illinois, said: ‘The caffeine derivatives in mate tea not only induced death in human colon cancer cells, they also reduced important markers of inflammation.

‘Put simply, the cancer cell self-destructs because its DNA has been damaged.’

Bowel cancer is the third most common form of cancer in the UK, with the vast majority of cases (more than 85 per cent) diagnosed in people over the age of 60.

A number of factors increase people’s risk of developing the disease, including family history, inherited conditions and poor diet.“

World’s Most Expensive Tea

Would you pay this kind of money to drink this tea? Would you pay any money to drink this kind of tea?

“CHENGDU, China — Chinese entrepreneur An Yanshi is convinced he has found the key ingredient to produce the world’s most expensive tea — panda poo.

The former calligraphy teacher has purchased 11 tonnes of excrement from a panda breeding centre to fertilise a tea crop in the mountains of Sichuan province in southwestern China, home to the black and white bears.

An says he will harvest the first batch of tea leaves this spring and it will be the “world’s most expensive tea” at almost 220,000 yuan ($35,000) for 500 grams (18 ounces).

Chinese tea drinkers regard the first batch of tea to be harvested in the early spring as the best and successive batches, regarded as inferior, will sell for around 20,000 yuan.

The 41-year-old, who is so passionate about his new project he dressed in a panda suit for his interview with AFP, has been ridiculed by some in China for his extravagant claims of the potential health benefits of the tea.

But he insists he is deadly serious, saying he quit his job at Sichuan University to throw himself “heart and soul” into his company, Panda Tea, whose logo features a smiling panda wearing a bow tie and holding a steaming glass of green tea.

While An hopes to make money from the tea, which he has planted on just over a hectare (2.5 acres) of land, his main mission is to convince the world to protect the environment and replace chemical fertilisers with animal faeces — before it is too late.

“Panda dung is rich in nutrition… and should be much better than chemical fertilisers,” An told AFP, as he sat at a traditional Chinese tea table drinking tea grown with cow manure.

“People should make a harmonious relationship with heaven, earth and the environment,” An said.

“Everybody has an obligation to protect the environment,” he added, as he showed AFP dozens of traditional Chinese scroll paintings that he has created of cheerful-looking pandas, bamboo and calligraphy.

The tea aficionado got the idea to use panda faeces as fertiliser after attending a seminar last year where he discovered that the bears absorbed less than 30 percent of the bamboo they consumed, excreting the remaining 70 percent.

An showed AFP a glass jar of fresh-looking panda faeces, which he uses to fertilise two tea plants in his office, noting the “quality” and “green” colour of the dung.

He is so convinced that Panda Tea will be a hit that he has patented the idea to prevent a competitor stealing it — a common occurrence in a country where laws protecting intellectual property rights are often flouted.

His claim that the green tea will help people lose weight and protect them from radiation has been ridiculed by some Chinese web users, who have expressed doubts about the purported health benefits of the tea and the high asking price for the first harvest.

“If it is such a good fertiliser for tea plants, I want to ask this teacher: why don’t you just eat panda dung? Then you can get the rest of the 70 percent nutrition,” a web user called Baihuashu said.

Another web user called 24-0 said: “Over 200,000 yuan per jin (500 grams) for panda tea fertilised by panda droppings — is that for drinking tea or drinking pandas’ blood?”

Despite the online detractors of his yet-to-be-tested tea, An said he remained undeterred and was already thinking about expanding his business.

“After the first batch is harvested, if the quality is really good, we will expand the economies of scale,” said An, waving his panda paws for emphasis.”

Study: Tea significantly reduces exposure to mercury

Photo credit: whatsonsanya.com

A groundbreaking new study from the University of Montréal shows that drinking tea while consuming fish will reduce your exposure to mercury.

The study, published last week in the journal of Environmental Research, also shows that boiling or fry fish significantly reduces exposure to mercury.

The study showed that while consuming cooked fish with a cup of tea approximately—250 mL—reduced the exposure to mercury down to an improbable “almost nothing”, according to the results of the study. This shocked even the researchers that were working on the study.

“The magnitude of the effect was surprising,” said Marc Amyot, a professor of biology sciences at University of Montréal and one of the lead researchers on the study.

“We thought there might be a 5 to 10% reduction (in exposure Mercury). We usually don’t see such dramatic results.”

The study was conducted using in vitro techniques replicating digestion normally seen as humans. It showed that by boiling a frying tuna, shark and macro, it reduced exposure to mercury by approximately 40 to 60%. When tea was ingested at the same time as the raw fish, and reduce the exposure by another 50 to 60%. Combined, exposure to mercury was limited to almost nothing.

Marc Amyot cautioned that the study does need to be examined more and that more information needs to be collected, but this is good information for people that are looking to reap the benefits of lean protein found in fish, but are looking to avoid exposure to potentially harmful metals such as mercury.

The highest levels of mercury are typically found in fish such as shark and red tuna and have been known to cause adverse neurological effects, as well as possible carcinogenic properties. it is also said to have adverse cardiovascular effects on humans. Pregnant women, in particular, have been told to stay away from as consumption of fish is considered main form of ingestion related mercury exposure.

Americans are drinking more tea and less coffee than ever before.

140 Health and Nutrition

U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012

Table 216. Nutrition—Nutrients in Foods Available for Civilian Consumption

Per Capita Per Day: 1970 to 2006

[Computed by the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP). Based on Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates of

per capita quantities of food available for consumption from “Food Consumption, Prices, and, Expenditures,” on imputed consumption data for foods no longer reported by ERS, and on CNPP estimates of quantities of produce from home gardens. Food supply

estimates do not reflect loss of food or nutrients from further marketing or home processing. Enrichment and fortification levels of

iron, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin A, vitamin B6

, vitamin B12

, and Vitamin C are included]

Nutrient Unit 1970–79 1980–89 1990–99 2000 2006

Food energy … … … . . Kilocalories … … … 3,200 3,400 3,600 3,900 3,900

Carbohydrate … … … . . Grams … … … … . 395 421 478 495 474

Fiber … … … … … . . Grams … … … … . 20 22 24 24 25

Protein … … … … … . Grams … … … … . 96 100 108 111 111

Total fat

1

… … … … . . Grams … … … … . 143 151 150 169 178

Saturated … … … … . Grams … … … … . 49 50 48 52 54

Monounsaturated … … . Grams … … … … . 57 61 64 75 77

Polyunsaturated … … . . Grams … … … … . 27 30 31 35 39

Cholesterol … … … … Milligrams … … … . 430 420 400 410 420

Vitamin A … … … … . . Micrograms RAE

2

… . 1,050 1,050 1,100 1,090 940

Carotene … … … … . . Micrograms … … … 560 600 710 690 690

Vitamin E … … … … . . Milligrams a-TE

3

… . . 14 16 17 20 21

Vitamin C … … … … . . Milligrams … … … . 109 115 118 121 106

Thiamin … … … … … Milligrams … … … . 2 3 3 3 3

Riboflavin … … … … . . Milligrams … … … . 3 3 3 3 3

Niacin … … … … … . . Milligrams … … … . 25 29 31 32 32

Vitamin B6

… … … … . Milligrams … … … . 2 2 2 2 2

Folate

4

… … … … … . Micrograms DFE

5

… . 341 383 504 902 874

Vitamin B12

… … … … . Micrograms … … … 9 8 8 8 8

Calcium … … … … … Milligrams … … … . 930 930 980 980 960

Phosphorus … … … … Milligrams … … … . 1,540 1,590 1,690 1,720 1,700

Magnesium … … … … Milligrams … … … . 340 360 390 400 400

Iron … … … … … … Milligrams … … … . 17 20 23 23 23

Zinc … … … … … … Milligrams … … … . 13 14 15 15 16

Copper … … … … … . Milligrams … … … . 2 2 2 2 2

Potassium … … … … . Milligrams … … … . 3,510 3,550 3,720 3,780 3,620

Sodium

6

… … … … . . Milligrams … … … . 1,210 1,210 1,240 1,230 1,150

Selenium … … … … . . Micrograms … … … 133 143 163 179 181

1

Includes other types of fat not shown separately.

2

Retinol activity equivalents.

3

Alpha-Tocopherol equivalents.

4

Reflects new

terminology from Institute of Medicine’s Dietary Reference Intakes reports.

5

Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE).

6

Does not include

amount from processed foods; underestimates actual availability.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply,

1909–2006. Data also published by Economic Research Service, Food Consumption, Prices, and Expenditures, annual. See also

.

Table 215. Per Capita Consumption of Selected Beverages by Type:

1980 to 2009

[In gallons. See headnote, Table 217. Per capita consumption uses U.S. resident population, July 1, for all beverages except coffee,

tea, and fruit juices which use U.S. total population (Resident plus Armed Forces overseas), July 1]

Beverages 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Nonalcoholic … … … … … … . 104.0 112.6 107.5 114.8 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)

Milk (plain and flavored)… … … . 27.5 25.7 23.9 22.5 21.0 21.0 20.6 20.8 20.6

Whole… … … … … … … . . 17.0 10.5 8.6 8.1 7.0 6.7 6.4 6.1 5.9

Reduced-fat, light, and skim … . . 10.5 15.2 15.3 14.4 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.6 14.6

Tea … … … … … … … … . . 7.3 6.9 7.9 7.8 8.0 8.4 8.4 8.0 9.0

Coffee … … … … … … … . . 26.7 26.8 20.2 26.3 24.3 24.4 24.6 24.2 23.3

Carbonated soft drinks … … … . 35.1 46.2 47.4 49.3 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)

Diet … … … … … … … … 5.1 10.7 10.9 11.6 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)

Regular … … … … … … … 29.9 35.6 36.5 37.7 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)

Fruit juices … … … … … … . . 7.4 7.0 8.1 8.9 8.1 7.9 7.9 6.9 7.4

NA Not available.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Food Consumption, Prices, and Expenditures, annual;

Food Consumption (Per Capita) Data System,.

Taken from: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0215.pdf

The perfect cup of tea: Scientists break it down

The Daily Mail is reporting that British scientists have figured out the right formula on how to make the perfect cup of tea. This may be another example of arts and science disagreeing, however, they seem to have figured out some of the nuances for this certain type of tea that they used.

• The perfect cup of tea is consumed 6 min. after it has been made
• the optimum brewing times 2 min. and the ideal amount of milk is 10 mL
• the perfect drinking temperature of 60°C is achieved 6 min. later.

Approximately 60 min. and half after the 60°C temperatures reached tea will be below its “prime drinking temperature” and they say that it falls down below 45°C. Written out as a formula:

TB + (H2O at 100 degrees centigrade) 2mins BT + C (10ml) 6mins BT = PC (at OT 60 degrees centigrade).

TB means tea bag, BT is brewing time, C is milk, PC means perfect cuppa, and OT stands for optimum temperature.

Green tea may cut thyroid cancer risk in postmenopausal women

By David Liu, Ph.D

A study led by Japanese scientists suggests drinking green tea may reduce risk of thyroid cancer in postmenopausal women.

The study showed postmenopausal women who drank five or more cups of green tea a day were 53 percent less likely to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer, compared with those who drank one or less than one cup a day.

For the study, Takehiro Michikawa of Keio University in Japan and colleagues analysed data on green tea and coffee consumption collected through a self-administered questionnaire from 48,802 men and 51,705 women aged 40 to 69. During 14.2 years of follow-up, 26 men and 133 women were diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Althrough the association between drinking green tea and reduced risk of thyroid was found in postmenopausal women, there was no association found in the general population.

And in premenopausal women, drinking five or more cups of green tea a day was actually correlated with 66 percent increased risk, compared with those drinking one or less than one cup a day.

Coffee consumption was not linked with thyroid cancer risk in either men nor women.

The study was published online on May 12, 2011 in Cancer Causes Control.

Green tea components such as Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) promote apoptosis, programmed cell deaths that lack in cancerous cells, according to cancer researchers C.S. Yang and colleagues at Rutgers University.

Thyroid cancer is a malignant tumor that grows in the thyroid gland, which makes hormones that regulate blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and body weight.

Thyroid cancer was estimated to hit 44,670 men and women in the United states in 2010 and the disease killed 1,690 in the same year, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Does Tea Ward off Disease?

DOES ”Tea drinking is associated with improved cardiovascular health,” says the Tea Association’s Web site. Yet the Food and Drug Administration concluded last year that “there is no credible scientific evidence” that green tea can reduce the risk of heart disease. (The evidence for black tea isn’t good, either.)

Who’s right? “It’s confusing when you look across all the epidemiological studies,” says tea researcher David Maron of the Vanderbilt Heart Institute in Nashville, Tennessee. “Some studies find that drinking tea is linked to less cardiovascular disease, some do not, and some actually find anincreased risk from drinking tea.” Clearly, the Tea Association isn’t confused. According to the industry group Web site, a University of North Carolina analysis of more than a do;en published studies “found an average estimated 11 percent lower rate of heart attack~among study participants who drank three or more cups of tea per day.” 1 The tea folks fa il to disclose that the studies’ results were so contradictory that, stati~tica lly, the 11 percent reduction was no different from a zero reduction.1 But what if three cups of tea a day aren’t SPEC I A F E ATURE BY DAVID SCHARDT ea is 1n. The average American drinks some 155 cups a year. That makes tea the country’s fourth most popular beverage, after water, soft drinks, and coffee. And green tea extracts are the fastest-growing dietary supplements. There’s no doubt that tea is an invigorating drink- you can probably credit 1ts caffe1ne for that (tea has about half the caffeine of coffee). And the national waistline would be tar better off if we replaced some of that soda with tea (prow1ed we sipped 1t with little or no sugar). But does tea lower the risk of cancer heart disease. and obesity. as some companies cla1m? Let’s check the tea leaves. ·HEART DISEASE Among 40,000 healthy middle-aged and o lder Japanese men and women, those who drank five or more cups of green tea a day were just as likely to die of heart disease during an I 1-year period a~ those who drank less than one cup a day 1 Unfortunately, clinical studies-which give people tea or a placebo and wait to see what happens-are scarce. “There really is not a lot of evidence from good clinical trials,” notes Maron “None have looked at whether drinking tea or taking tea extracts prevents heart attacks or strokes, and onlv a few have looked at whether it le~~ “If someone ca n’t lower cholesterol l)y diet-or can’t or doesn’t want to usc prescription stalin drugs-then I would say he or she could try this extract to see if it helps ” you want consumers to believe that tea helps prevent heart disease, but the FDA says there’s “no credible scientific evidence.” Not to worry. Make it look like ~P!P!~!h.. another government agency is endorsing your claim. How? “Partner” with the renowned National Heart, Lung, and Blood Ins titu te (NHLBI) on its “The Heart Truth” campaign. Put up your dollars, then proclaim publicly what tl1e FDA would never let you say. Issue a press release about how your “Partnership Highlights Benefits of Tea Consumption in Helping Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease.” In it, say that “drinking more tea can help promote heart health.” Then let tl1e NHLBI post the release on its Web site (www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ health/hearttruth/press/nhlbi_ht_ celestial. pdf). NHLBI communications director Terry Long says that consumers won’t assume that the company’s claims have been approved by the institute. “We’re not a regulatory agency and we’re not trying to counter any message from another federal agency,” she says. “We’re in the business of educating women about heart disease. Celestial Seasonings has been a part of that for a long time, and we don’t weigh in on the issue of tea and heart disease.” Apparently, the NHLBIIets Celestial Seasonings do that. SPEC I A L F E A T URE CANCER In the 1990s, tea seemed like a miracle cancer-fighter. “There’s no agent in the literature that has shown such remarkable effects in so many animal systems,” Hasan Mukhtar of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland told Nutrition Action in 1994. He was hard ly exaggerating. When researchers give animals carcinogens, tea extracts reduce the n umber of tumors in the breast, colon, prostate, pancreas, skin, lung, esophagus, and small intestine. But what was missing 10 years ago is still missing: evidence that tea also prevents cancer in people. “While most of the an imal stud ies that have been reported have been positive, the epidem iological data are not clear in fi nding a benefit for tea on cancer in humans,” says researcher Joshua Lambert of Rutgers University in New j ersey. For example, in a study of 40,000 healthy middle-aged and older Japanese men and women, those who d rank five or more cups of green tea a day were just as likely to die of cancer during an 11-year period as those who drank less than one cup a day.3 As for specific cancers: • Colon. In 28 studies on three continents, people who drank the most black or green tea were just as likely to get colon cancer as those who drank the least.5 • Prostate. In the most recent study, which looked at 19,000 japanese men, those who drank five or more cups of green tea a day were just as likely to die of prostate cancer as those who drank less than one cup a day.6 “The epidemiological evidence for black or green tea protecting against prostate cancer is not very strong,” says Anna Wu of UCLA. In 2005, Canadian researchers gave 500 milligrams a day of green tea extract to 15 men with advanced prostate cancer for two to six months. All of their cancers worsened.7 And in an unpublished study from the National Cancer Institute, only one of 42 prostate cancer patients who drank four cups of green tea every day for four months showed even a short-lived improvement. • Breast. “Studies show that drinking black tea has no effect on breast cancer,” says Wu. In 13 studies in eight countries involving more than 160,000 women, those who drank the most black tea, usually fo ur or more cups a day, were just as likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer as those who drank the least.8 For green tea, “the evidence isn’t very strong, either,” says Wu. fn three studies that tracked nearly 70,000 japanese women for seven to 24 years, those who drank at least five cups of green tea daily were just as likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer as those who drank little or none. 8 But, says Wu, “we need additional human studies that carefully document tea intake in order to draw strong conclusions about green tea and breast cancer.” Why is the evidence that tea prevents cancer so strong in animals and test tubes, yet so weak in humans? “How much tea people consume versus how much is used in the animal experiments has always been a key issue,” says Wu. “The animals are typically fed very large amounts of tea, or what are thought to be tea’s active ingredients,” says Rutgers’ joshua Lambert. As a result, the concentration of those ingredients in the animals’ tissues may be 10 times higher than in the tissues of people who drink tea . “When you look at the animal studies that use levels of tea more comparable to the concentrations found in human tissues, you don’t see an anticancer effect,” says – Nurulain Zaveri of SRI International, a nonprofit institute in Menlo Park, California, that conducts research for industry and the government. “I think the value of the research we’re doing will be in identifying how tea prevents cancer in animals and test tubes, and then developing d rugs to do the same thing,” she says. Bottom line: Tea prevents cancer in a nimals, but in human studies, people who drink five or more cups a day have no lower risk. Few studies have tested tea extracts on cancer in people. 1 0 NUTRI TION ACTION H EALTHLETTER • MARCH 2007 Asoft drink that helps you burn more calories·! “For the first time you can actually ‘drink negative,”‘ promise CocaCola and Nestle. Last fall, the two companies began marketing a carbonated diet green tea drink called Enviga. Each 12-ounce can is fortified with 100 milligrams of caffeine and 90 milligrams of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant that occurs natura lly in tea . If you drink three cans of Enviga a day, you can burn an additional60 to 100 calories every 24 hours, the companies claim. (Just expect to shell out about $4 a day, or $1,500 a year.) Soft-drink manufacturers aren’t the only ones putting EGCG in products designed to lure weight-conscious consumers. Bayer, for example, adds EGCG (32 mg) to One-A-Day WeightSmart multivitamins, “to supplement the effort you are making to better control your weight.” (In january, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission fined Bayer $3.2 million for making unsubstantiated cla ims t hat WeightSmart with EGCG helps trim pounds by boosting metabolism.) Coke and Nestle deny that Enviga is intended to help people lose weight. Rather, it provides a “metabolic invigoration” to keep ”those extra calories from building up.” That kind of mushy “structure or function” claim requires no evidence. Does tea- or the EGCG in tea- have any impact on weight? The evidence is pretty thin. In a handful of small stud ies that lasted only one to three days, people who took EGCG plus caffeine bu rned slightly more calories than those who were given a placebo: • In two studies in 1999 and 2001, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Swiss researchers gave 22 healthy men oolong tea or a green tea extract over the course of one day. Both contained 244 mg to 270 mg of EGCG and 150 mg to 270 mg of caffeine. The men burned roughly 70 to 80 more calories than on the day they got a placebo.9·10 • Last November, in a study financed by Nestle, 31 young men and women con- § sumed the equivalent of three 12-ounce · cans of Enviga every day for three days. ~ On the third day, they burned 60 to 100 ~ more calories than on the third day they o drank a placebo. (The study hasn’t yet ~ been published.) SP E CIA L FEATURE WEIGHT But what happens after a few days? Do people eat more to compensate for the extra calories they’re burning, or perhaps stop burning extra calories? • When Dutch researchers added 596 mg of EGCG and 237 mg of caffeine to the diets of 23 overweight women who were trying to lose weight, the women burned no more calories after one month- and shed no more pounds over a 12-week period- than 23 similar women who were given a placebo. 11 • When the same researchers added 270 mg of EGCG and 150 mg of caffeine to the diets of 38 men and women who had already lost weight, the dieters gained back as many pounds after 12 weeks as 38 similar people who were given a placebo. t2 • In contrast, when Japanese researchers gave 136 mg of EGCG and 75 mg of caffeine to 17 dieters, the volunteers lost -2Yz more pounds after 12 weeks than 17 similar people who got a placebo. 13 It’s not clear why the volu nteers- all overweight employees of a company that sells a green tea “suitable for people who are concerned about body fat”-would differ from the participants in other studies. Bottom line: In a few very-short-term studies, people burned slightly more calories when given EGCG plus caffeine. But in longer-term studies, the combination had no consistent impact on weight. (Note: The Center {or Science in Ute Public Interest, Nutrition Action’s publisltet; has sued Coca-Cola and Nestle for implying in Uteir ads that Enviga ca11 help people shed pounds or keep from gai11i11g weight.) THETEABAG Over the last 10 years, sales of ready-todrink bottled teas like Arizona, Nestea, Snapple, Lipton, and Sobe have grown almost tenfold. While that’s good news for the companies, it may not be so good for people who think they’re getting real tea. Oregon State University researchers have found that freshly brewed green or black teas contain 10 to 100 times more antioxidants than bottled teas. Tile U.S. Department of Agriculture found much the same. According to its analyses, an 8-oz. cup of freshly brewed 1 www.teausa.com/general/204g.crm. z Am. J. Epidemiology/54: 495.2001. 3 JAMA 296: 1255, 2006. • Arch. Jntem. Med. 163: 1448, 2003. 5 Carcinogenesis 27: 1301, 2006. 6 Br. J. Cancer 95: 371, 2006. 7 Urol. Oncol. 23: 108, 2005. green tea contains 196 milligrams of the antioxidant EGCG, while a cup of bottled green tea contains just 9 mg. And a cup of freshly brewed black tea contains 27 mg of EGCG, says the USDA, while a cup of bottled black tea has 1 mg -about the same as instant or diet teas. (Freshly brewed oolong tea contains 85 mg.) “Many of the currently available cold bottled teas sold in the United States are more like diluted sugar water than something that may help protect your health,” says Oregon State researcher Rod Dashwood._. 8 Carcinogenesis 27: 1310, 2006. 9 Am. J. C/in. Nutr. 70· 1040. 1999. 10 J. Nutr. 131: 2848. 2001 . 11 Br. J. Nutr. 94: 1026. 2005. 120 bes. Res. 13: 1195. 2005. 13 Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 8 1: 122, 2005.

Tea & Tannins

Tannins is an imprecise term that has several definitions, including soluble astringent complex phenolic substances of plant origin. Tannins refer to a wide range of diverse substances known to scientists as polyphenols. The polyphenols tannic acid is present in many plants but not in tea. The polyphenol theaflavin is found only in tea. The polyphenols found in tea contribute to the beverage color, taste, and feel.

There is a growing body of research suggesting that polyphenols found in tea are beneficial to human health.

Radiation Found in Tea Leaves in Japan

TOKYO—A prefecture just south of Tokyo said it had detected higher-than-permissible amounts of radioactive material in tea leaves, in a reminder that Japan’s radioactive-contamination problems are far from over.

The contamination—the first case in nearly a month that an agricultural product has been found tainted outside Fukushima Daiichi’s home prefecture—is also the first time that any agricultural item from Kanagawa Prefecture, which includes Yokohama, was found to contain an excessive… insert link to paywall here  Thanks, WSJ.

World’s major tea growing countries

India

With nearly 25,000 tea estates, India is the largest producer and consumer of tea. Almost all of tea produced is “black tea”, although small quantities of green tea are produced. Some of the finest tea comes from the hills of Darjeeling (altitude 6000 feet) where there are approximately 42,000 acres of tea cultivation, and the valleys of the Assam.  Darjeeling however, represents just 1% of all the tea India produces. The Darjeeling tea is famous for its flavor. Some tea granular are grayish to black in color. The city has strong bright liquor.

China

China stands up next to India so far as production is concerned. A variety of tea comes from China, the place where he was born. Two thirds of China’s annual production is green, which is the most popular at home. The most popular variety of Chinese tea is called “Keemun black tea” from the Anhui province.  Keemun is also used with the flavor as a base for iced teas in the USA.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, the world’s third-largest tea producer, and the largest exporter. Presently 25% of the world’s tea is from Sri Lanka and has and area of 600,000 acres under tea cultivation.  Sri Lanka tea is almost all processed black, with a few exceptions. Pictured left is white tea from Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka.Ceylon Teas have a bright flavour and cup appearance. 40% of Sri Lanka’s tea estates are located at an altitude of over 4000 feet.

Spread of tea in India

From the Brahmapurtra valley, tea plantations spread to Cachar, Tripura and Sylhet, presently in Bangladesh.

The seeds of Darjeeling—renowned for its exquisite aroma and flavor and often called the “champagne of tea”—were planted in 1841, but commercial production began in only 1852. By 1874 there were 113 gardens in the Darjeeling district. The success in Assam encouraged the British to plant tea in South India, and Herschel production began in 1859 in the Nilgiri hills in Madras (present Tamil Naidu) and in the Wynaad district in Kerala.

The second half of the 19^thcentury witnessed a phenomenal expansion in the Indian tea industry. With 31% of the world tea production, India is now the largest producer of tea. A record 800,000,000 kg was produced in 1998, although due to adverse climatic conditions production dropped to 805,000,000 kg in 1999

Major tea growing areas in India

The major tea growing areas in India are located in the Assam Valley, Cachar, Darjeeling & the Dooars in North Bengal, Terai, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. The major part of the production comes from the eastern and northeastern parts of India. Meanwhile, several other states, including Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Orissa and Meghalaya have started growing tea. Experimental plantations are also on the cards and several other states under government patronage.

Tea Preparation Video (1941)

72 year old video on Tea preparation. The information is still all very much correct.

Women steal $2 cups of tea

A Gastonia woman was sentenced to 27 days in jail for stealing a $2 glass of tea.

Judge Robert Sumner on Thursday morning sentenced Latasha Danielle Dellinger to the stint in Gaston County Jail, then gave her credit for time served.

Dellinger was locked up for nearly a month after failing to appear in court on charges of misdemeanor larceny and making a false bomb threat.

The incident that led to the charges happened Nov. 6 at the Shrimp Boat at 120 S. Broad St., Gastonia.

Dellinger, 22, and Kia Tineka Sessoms, 29, both of 213 Willow St., went to the local restaurant to eat. The women ordered water, then poured the drinks out and filled up their cups with tea, according to the prosecutor.

The larceny charges were for the stolen tea valued at $2 each.

The women voiced dissatisfaction with the service and before leaving yelled to customers there was a bomb in the building.

The building was searched by police to make sure there was no actual bomb threat, and both women were arrested.

Dellinger accepted a plea agreement that dropped the false bomb threat charge if she pleaded guilty to larceny.

A mother of two young children, Dellinger was jailed in March. She arrived in court this week in jailhouse scrubs with cornrows in her hair.

She has a previous charge of failure to appear in court from July and a charge of failing to pay child support, according to the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office website.

Sessoms was released from jail on a $5,000 secured bond in November but was on 36 months probation for a 2009 conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to the N.C. Department of Correction website. Her next court date in Gaston County is April 29.

Tea is as healthy as water: study

All Tea - Aislaby Ceylon Black Tea

MORE Tea Health Benefits “news”

Well, there’s nothing “new” about this information, however, more information was recently submitted suggesting tea has hydration properties that are almost

equal to those of water—even given the fact that the beverage tea is a diuretic.

There’s been well documented, that diuretics are not great for hydrating, however, it is learned that tea has different properties that allow it to hydrate.

Follow the link at the bottom of this post to learn more about tea hydration.

More information from Daily Mail