As we moved along the paths that led us through the tea fields and around the mountains we became convinced that tea is good for you. But knowing how unsure you are, grasshopper, we decided to try to locate actual physical research that would show this fact.The research became quite a project due to many of the facts or data being years old and many did not seem quite current enough to be reliable. However, our paths finally crossed an article written from excerpts of Professor Declan Naughton, from the School of Life Sciences at Kingston University in South West London. His research showed that tea and specifically white tea had potential to help with anti-aging and contained high levels of anti-oxidants which could prevent heart disease and cancer."We've carried out tests to identify plant extracts that protected the structural proteins of the skin, specifically elastin and collagen," he explained. "Elastin supports the body's natural elasticity which helps lungs, arteries, ligaments and skin to function. It also helps body tissue to repair when you suffer wounds and stops skin from sagging." He also made it clear that collagen is a protein that is found in the connective tissues of a persons body and is extremely important for skin, strength and elasticity.His results showed that the use of white tea prevented the enzymes from breaking down the elastin and collagen which often leads to wrinkles. These same enzymes along with oxidants are always associated with inflammation diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. He also stated, "These enzymes and oxidants are key components of normal body processes. However, in inflammatory conditions, suppressing the activities of these excess components has been the subject of decades of research. We were surprised to find such high activity for the white tea extracts in all five tests that were conducted."The researchers were actually surprised at just how well the white tea had tested. "We were testing very small amounts far less than you would find in a drink," Professor Naughton, one of the country's leading specialists on inflammation, said. "The early indicators are that white tea reduces the risk of inflammation which is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers as well as wrinkles."In addition to the white teas, the researchers tested eight other plants and herbs to see their effects on elastin and collagen. The results were as follows: after white tea, bladderwrack performed well then followed by extracts of cleavers, rose, green tea, angelica, anise and pomegranate. 1. Tamsyn SA Thring, Pauline Hili, Declan P Naughton. Anti-collagenase, anti-elastase and anti-oxidant activities of extracts from 21 plants. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2009, 9:27 (4 August 2009) [link] 2. APA Kingston University (2009, August 14). White Tea Could Keep You Healthy And Looking Young. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 11, 2010White Tea is Not The Only Notable Study - Here are others:Heart Research: * Study shows the tea testers have lower blood pressure (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004). * Tea may reduce a persons cholesterol and also aid against heart disease (Journal of Nutrition, 2003). * Black tea may help lower the "bad" cholesterol (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, 2003). * Tea drinking may be helping heart disease patients (Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association, 2001).Cancer Prevention: * Green tea could help reduce esophageal cancer. (Harvard Medical School, 2004). * Green and black tea can slow the spread of prostate cancer (Center for Human Nutrition at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, 2004). * Tea may help against cancer caused by smoking. (Journal of Nutrition, 2003). * Green tea and white tea fight colon cancer (Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University study, Carcinogenesis, 2003). * Hot tea may lower risk of some skin cancers (University of Arizona study, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention (Vol. 9, No. 7), 2001). * Green tea consumption may help lower stomach cancer risk (University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Public Health study, International Journal of Cancer (Vol. 92: 600-604), 2001).Hypertension-Reducing Research: * Green and oolong teas reduce risk of hypertension patients (National Cheng Kung University study, Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004).Immunity-Boosting Research: * Tea is believed to boost the body's defenses (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2003)Leukemia-Fighting Research: * A green tea component can help kill leukemia cells (Mayo Clinic, 2004).Alzheimer's-Fighting Research: * Drinking tea may delay Alzheimer's Disease (Newcastle University's Medicinal Plant Research Centre study, Phytotherapy Research, 2004).AIDS-Fighting Research: * Tea may play a role as an AIDS fighter (University of Tokyo, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2003).**All research quoted was gained by use of Wikipedia, Google Keyword Research and other tea publications.As you continue your travels, grasshopper, may you remember the studies of the wise men above and begin changing your life by drinking tea each day. Simple is the lesson today, grasshopper, simple is tea.
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As we moved along the trail that led us through the tea crops and around the hillsides we became convinced that tea is positive for you.
This article is written by Sandra M. Morris of Silver Needle White Tea and she hopes that you will begin the journey to find just how teas can benefit you and your health.
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