Green Tea & Longevity

 

 

A CTV NEWS Report - British Columbia

Updated:  Thursday August 21, 2008.

 

GREEN TEA

 

Want to live longer?  Try drinking Japanese green tea!

The highest concentration of centenarians - people who live to be at least 100 years old is in Japan!

 

And scientists say that following some of that lifestyle, especially drinking Japanese green tea, can help you live longer as well.

"There's been clinical studies showing up to a 30 per cent reduction in heart disease and stroke among those who drink green tea regularly," said Dr. Thomas Perls, a leading expert on longevity and health.

Green tea also boosts your metabolism, towards healthy weight loss and is a great source of powerful antioxidants.

Perls says that it's the polyphenols in green tea that are responsible for some of its major health benefits.  The B.C. Cancer Agency is currently studying the benefits of green tea in people with pre-cancerous lung lesions.

 “L-Theanine” which is an amino acid, found in significant amounts in Japanese green tea, also has benefits for relaxation, moods, sleep, cardio, cognitive health and neurodegenerative brain repair.  Theanine may help reduce anxiety and stress, which is anti-aging!

"Polyphenols... scavenge free radicals and toxins produced by our cells and these free radicals are highly reactive molecules which are the very basic mechanism of aging, along with all the acid-forming foods, like coffee (caffeine) and too much red meat consumption." 

 

In Okinawa, Japan, green tea is a main staple and many people drink several cups a day, eat a more vegetable-based diet, seaweed and significantly less dairy food. "In Japan, where we have the highest average life expectancy in the world, people drink a few, small cups of green tea per day – not many, but the secret is that they do it everyday and that’s what makes the difference," said Perls.  Further, Japanese studies have shown that removing green tea from the diet resulted in a decline in life expectancy.  "Green tea is truly longevity-enhancing," said Perls.  

 

Dr. Perls says Indian black or Chinese oolong teas offer some health benefits, but not nearly as much as Japanese green tea, especially the higher, organic quality and it's so much better than swallowing processed capsules or tablets, several times per day. 

 

"The trick with green teas is the way it's preserved, so that the polyphenols are not destroyed, by the fermentation.  Japanese green tea is not fermented, but Chinese green tea is and therein lies the main difference in its active health properties and efficacy."

 

Still, at the end of the day, it's lifestyle choices that will help you to live longer for Dr. Perl. That includes staying optimistic, balancing stress and relaxation, eating healthfully, and enjoying a cup or two of green tea per day.  "I think the vast majority of us have the opportunity to get to our mid to late 80s or even our early 90s," he said, with proper nutrition and a few simple changes to our daily diets and lifestyle.

 

Most of the studies have been done on animals and suggest that green tea has major anticancer properties, anti-inflammatory and blood-thinning effects, which can help improve cardiovascular health and a variety of diabetic conditions.

Green tea also contains vitamin K, which can affect blood clotting so folks who have to take blood thinners, like “Coumadin” need to discuss drinking green tea with a well-informed, registered health practitioner (like a Naturopath, Chiropractor or M.D.), beforehand.  

A report from CTV British Columbia's health expert - Dr. Rhonda Low

 

               

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