Category Archives: Coffee and Tea

Coffee- For Your Health

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Sunday September 29th is celebrated as National Coffee Day in the U.S. In recognition of this important day, our post today will cover some interesting research on coffee consumption and various health outcomes.

The largest coffee producer in the world is Brazil, and has been so for over 100 years. Second on the list of producing countries is Vietnam, followed by Columbia. While over 50% of Americans drink coffee daily, the leading coffee consuming country is actually Finland, followed by Norway. There are many bioactive compounds found in coffee, including polyphenols, which are thought to be one of the sources of coffee’s health benefits.

A group of researchers affiliated with the University of Edinburgh as well as the University of Southampton in the UK performed what they termed an “umbrella review”, examining the effects of coffee consumption on several different health conditions. Their review included 201 meta-analyses of observational studies, as well as 17 meta-analyses of interventional research.

After completion of their analysis, the researchers concluded that coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, total cancer, and all-cause mortality.

For cancer, coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of endometrial cancer, melanoma, oral cancer, and prostate cancer.

For the liver, in those with any coffee consumption versus those with none, there was a 39% lower risk for liver cirrhosis, 27% lower risk for liver fibrosis, and 29% lower risk on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

In comparing high versus low coffee consumption, high consumption was associated with a lower risk of diabetes type 2, and was also associated with a 9% lower risk of metabolic syndrome.

Other notable findings- coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of both gallstone disease and Parkinson’s disease. In fact, the only evidence of potential harm seemed to be in those that are pregnant and perhaps women and bone loss.

This was a massive study, spread over multiple countries and with many participants. While studies such as these do not prove cause and effect, they do provide areas where further research may be helpful.

So, on National Coffee Day, consider a cup or two with friends and family. It may be good for your health!

“The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

(Source-BMJ 2017;359)

This blog is a review of published research and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

 

 

Tea Lowers Risks of Oral Cancers

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April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and in recognition of this today’s post will examine recent research on the consumption of tea and risk of oral cancer.

Statistics from the American Cancer Society estimate about 53,000 Americans will develop oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer in 2019. It is also estimated that nearly 11,000 will die from these types of cancer. The main risk factors appear to be tobacco use, alcohol, and HPV infection.

A recent study was performed by a group of researchers in China. They performed a review and meta-analysis of 14 case-control studies, examining the role between tea consumption and oral cancers. These studies included participants from the Africa, Asia, Europe and the US.

The researchers discovered that increased tea consumption was associated with a decreased risk of oral cancer. A dose-response analysis indicated that the risk of oral cancer was decreased when the dose and duration of tea consumption was increased. For example, with every cup of tea intake increased, the risk of oral cancer dropped by 6.2%.

Tea is known to contain many bioactive compounds, such as catechins. Catechins are flavonoid compounds, and have antioxidant properties. It is thought that catechins have anti-carcinogenic properties as well, and hence may be one of the compounds in tea that work to lower cancer risk.

The 5 year survival rate of oral cancers is about 65%. Early detection is the key to the survivability from many types of cancers, as is avoidance of known risk factors. Given the results of this study, perhaps consider tea as a healthy beverage of choice.

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”– C.S. Lewis

(Source- Medicine (2018) 97:51)

This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

Tea Lowers Bad Cholesterol

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April 21st is National Tea Day in the UK, and this post is the second in recognition of this important day. This post will examine research regarding black tea and cholesterol.

Tea remains one of the world’s most widely consumed beverages. It is estimated that the size of the global tea market is more than $70 billion. While coffee remains more popular than tea in the US, Americans still drink their fair share of tea, averaging over 8 gallons per capita consumption. Nearly a quarter of Americans drink tea daily.

A group of researchers in China investigated the relationship between black tea consumption and cholesterol parameters. They performed a review and meta-analysis of ten studies, which included over 400 participants.

The researchers discovered that the consumption of black tea led to a significant reduction in LDL concentration. LDL is the low density or so-called “bad cholesterol”. LDL contributes to the build-up of fat in the arteries, or atherosclerosis.

Given the possible reduction in “bad cholesterol”, consider tea as a healthy beverage choice. And celebrate National Tea Day!

“But indeed I would rather have nothing but tea.” – Jane Austen

(Source- Clinical Nutrition, 2014)

This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

 

Enjoy a Cup of Tea Today (or three)

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April 21st is National Tea Day in the UK, and in recognition of this today’s post will examine research regarding tea consumption and cardiovascular outcomes.

Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Tea is derived from Carmellia sinesis leaves, and leaf buds. Carmellia sinesis is an evergreen shrub or small tree, which grows at elevation in warmer weather climates. Approximately 40% of the global tea production comes from China, with India producing about 22%. Other leading producers include Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. Turkey is the largest per capita consumer of tea, at 5 1/2 pounds per person per year. According to statistics from the Tea Association of the USA, Americans consumed over 84 billion servings of tea last year. Over 84% of that was black tea, with about 15% being green tea.

Tea is purported to have a range of health benefits, from cardiovascular benefits, to lowering risks of certain cancers, to improvement in cognitive health. Tea is composed of hundreds of bioactive compounds, including flavonoids. Flavonoids are thought to have antioxidant properties, and may be the source of some of the beneficial properties of tea.

Researchers in China performed a meta-analysis of published prospective observational studies to examine the relationship between tea consumption and various cardiovascular outcomes. Twenty-two different studies were included in the analysis, including participants from the US, Europe, and Asia. More than 850,000 subjects were enrolled in these various trials.

Researchers discovered that increased tea consumption was associated with a reduction in cardiac death, cerebral infarction, heart disease, intracerebral hemorrhage and stroke. More importantly, tea consumption was associated with a reduction in total mortality. These results were with a serving of three cups of tea per day.

This was a robust meta-analysis, with a large number of study participants, spanning the globe. Given these results, consider tea as a healthy beverage choice, and salute National Tea Day!

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”  Henry James

(Source- European Journal of Epidemiology (2015) 30)

This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

More Health Benefits of Tea

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April 21st is designated National Tea Day in the UK, and in recognition of this our posts today will address some of the possible health benefits of tea.

Tea is derived from the leaves and buds of the evergreen shrub Camellia sinensis. It is the most widely consumed drink in the world, other than water.

Chinese researchers recently published results of a meta-analysis of several prospective cohort studies, examining the relationship between tea consumption and mortality of all cancers, as well as tea consumption and cardiovascular disease.

The researchers identified 62 published articles, and then narrowed this down to 18 studies. These studies involved thousands of subjects, with a follow-up period ranging from 3 to 28 years. The studies encompassed both black and green tea.

A dose-response analysis was performed which showed that a one cup unit of green tea per day was associated with a 5% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, while a one cup per day increment of black tea was associated with a 8% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality.

The inverse association between green tea consumption and cardiovascular mortality was more apparent in women than men. The reason for this is not clear.

In looking at tea consumption and all-cause mortality the dose-response analysis showed that a one cup per day increment of black tea was associated with a 3% lower risk of all-cause mortality, whereas a one cup per day unit of green tea consumption was associated with a 4% lower risk of all-cause mortality.

Given these possible health benefits of both black and green tea, let’s have a cup in honor of National Tea Day!

 

(Source- British Journal of Nutrition, 2015, 114)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

Drinking Tea May Help with Depression

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April 7th has been designated World Health Day by the World Health Organization, and this year’s focus is on depression. In recognition of this today’s posts will examine depression and its treatment.

An estimated 15 million Americans suffer from depression, with nearly 7% of the adult population affected in a given year. Worldwide more than 300 million are affected, and depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Depression contributes to the nearly 800,000 suicides which occur worldwide each year.

A recent study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry examined the relationship between tea consumption and the risk of depression. Researchers from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan China performed a meta-analyisis of eleven studies with 13 reports, involving nearly 23,000 subjects. These subjects were from China, Finland, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan.

The meta-analysis showed that higher consumption of tea was associated with a lower risk of depression. There was a linear association between tea consumption and risk of depression, as every 3 cups per day unit in tea consumption was associated with a 37% decrease in risk of depression.

Given the potentially devastating impact of depression on an individual’s health, drinking tea would seem to be a safe and simple way to help lower one’s risk.

(Source- Australian&New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2015, Vol. 49(4) 334-345)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with you personal physician.