Disease-Fighting Foods

“Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food.” When Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, wrote those words more than 2,400 years ago, he was hundreds of years ahead of his time. Today, thousands of studies around the world confirm Hippocrates’ advice: What you eat has a powerful effect on your health.

Functional Foods

The buzz today is about “functional foods” that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Researchers say a diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts and cold-water fish can make your immune system stronger and reduce your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and age-related vision and mental problems.

Supplements vs. Food

Studies say that taking supplements instead of eating whole foods doesn’t provide the same benefits and may actually increase your risk of disease. Researchers think that the combination of natural chemicals found in whole foods work together to promote health.

10 Important Disease-Fighting Foods

Enjoy the benefits of these top food choices, found on your grocery store’s shelves:

Spinach

May prevent age-related vision problems; provides folate, a vitamin critical for reducing birth defects; reduces blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that increases heart disease risk; may protect the brain from aging

Broccoli

High in sulforaphane, a naturally occurring compound that may help destroy tumor-causing chemicals; provides indole-3-carbinol, a phytochemical (nutrient that comes from plants) that may protect against estrogen-related cancers

Salmon

One of the best sources for omega-3 fatty acid, a type of fat that may reduce the risk of blood clots and cardiovascular disease; has anti-inflammatory effect; may reduce risk of diseases such as diabetes, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, some cancers and mental decline

Nuts

Loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin E; helps reduce total blood cholesterol

Tomatoes

Rich in lycopene, a phytochemical that seems to play a role in preventing certain cancers

Berries

High in cancer-fighting phytochemicals; appear to have brain-protective properties that may help prevent, and possibly reverse, age-related declines in memory and learning ability

Beans / Legumes

Excellent source of protein, heart-healthy fiber, folate and antioxidants; may help reduce cholesterol levels

Oats

Rich in a type of fiber that’s effective in reducing total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol; effective in regulating blood sugar levels

Purple Grape Juice, Red or Purple Grapes, Red Wine

High in a cancer-fighting compound that may also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

Coffee and Tea

Coffee: Appears to reduce risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and age-related cognitive decline
Black Tea: May reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
Green Tea: May prevent certain types of cancer

Green Tea and Weight Loss

In a study reported on in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that green tea extract resulted in a significant increase in energy expenditure (a measure of metabolism), plus also had a significant effect on fat oxidation. 

 

While some of the effects were originally theorized to be due to the caffeine content of green tea, the researchers discovered that the tea actually has properties that go beyond those that would be explained by the caffeine. 

 

 Drinking 2-4 cups of green tea per day can help you shed some of that hard-to-lose weight. The International Journal of Obesity states that green tea contains polyphenols which cause your body to produce unnecessary heat, thus "wasting" calories. When preparing green tea, be sure not to use boiling water, as this will cause the tea to be bitter. Also, the longer the tea steeps, the more bitter it will taste. 

 

Green tea fields

Green tea can also help:

• Revive aging skin cells.
• Boost your brain power.
• Battle creaky knees.
• Keep your heart healthy.

A Brew for Your Brain

Green tea is not only good for your body, but it also may be good for your brain. In a study, older people who drank at least 2 cups of antioxidant-rich green tea per day were about 50 percent less likely to develop cognitive impairment compared to the people who drank 3 or fewer cups per week. Exercising regularly and keeping your brain busy with puzzles, books, and problem solving are other good ways to stay sharp.

Correct water temperature and steeping time are important when making a flavorful cup of tea. Black and herbal teas should be prepared with boiling water and steeped for 4 to 6 minutes. However, these conditions are too harsh for delicate green tea and may affect the flavor and potency. When preparing green tea, heat water to approximately 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have a thermometer, just bring the water to a boil and then remove it from the heat source for about a minute. Pour the water over your green tea bag or leaves and steep for 2 to 3 minutes, the optimal infusion time for this kind of tea.

Capsaicin plus green tea combo aids weight loss

A combination of capsaicin and green tea could promote the feeling of fullness and sustain satiety, indicating it could be successful for weight management, says a new study.

Researchers from Denmark and the Netherlands report sweet pepper may also reduce energy intake during positive energy balance, according to findings of their 27-person study published in Clinical Nutrition.


“We conclude that thermogenic food ingredients have energy intake reducing effects when used in combinations, and in positive energy balance,” wrote the researchers, led by Professor Margriet Westerterp-Plantenga from Maastricht University.


“These results suggest that bioactive ingredients (capsaicin, green tea, CH-19) may be helpful in reducing energy intake to prevent body weight gain and may support body weight loss by relatively sustaining satiety and suppressing hunger,” they added.


The research taps into the burgeoning weight loss and management market, estimated to already be worth $7bn (€5.2bn) globally. It also has implications for diabetes.


With 50 per cent of Europeans and 62 per cent of Americans classed as overweight, the food industry is waking up to the potential of products for weight loss and management.


The slimming ingredients market can be divided into five groups based on the mechanisms of action - boosting fat burning/ thermogenesis, inhibiting protein breakdown, suppressing appetite/ boosting satiety (feeling of fullness), blocking fat absorption, and regulating mood (linked to food consumption).

Study details


Westerterp-Plantenga and her co-workers recruited 27 people with an average age of 27 and an average BMI of 22.2 kg/m2, and randomised them to three weeks of negative (less calories consumed than used) and three weeks of positive energy balance (more calories consumed than used). During these periods ten separate test days were used to test the effects of capsaicin, green tea, CH-19 sweet pepper, capsaicin plus green tea, or placebo on appetite, energy intake, body weight and heart rate.


Only the CH-19 and the capsaicin plus green tea combinations produced a reduction in energy intake during the positive energy balance period. Moreover, the combined supplement produced suppressed hunger and increased satiety, and this was greater during negative than positive energy balance, wrote the researchers. This indicated that energy balance did not affect energy intake but did affect appetite.


Active components


Commenting on the mechanism, the researchers note that both catechins and caffeine in green tea may be behind the effects, with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) previously noted to reduced food intake and body weight in rats.


On the use of capsaicin the researchers note that long-term intervention is “hardly possible and results in bad compliance”, and that CH-19 sweet pepper, which is non-pungent, could be “an attractive alternative to capsaicin”.


“Since CH-19 sweet pepper was an efficient suppressor of energy intake it would be of interest to investigate if a combination of CH-19 sweet pepper and green tea leads to a similar synergistic effect on energy intake,” wrote Westerterp-Plantenga
and her co-workers.


“Capsaicin only increases liking of the food when used at lower concentrations, and one can only comply with a relatively small dosage of capsaicin over the longer term.


“Therefore we suggest that a lower dosage of capsaicin should be combined with other bioactive ingredients (e.g. CH-19 sweet pepper) in order to reach optimal effects,” they concluded.

Source: Clinical Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2009.01.010
“Effects of capsaicin, green tea and CH-19 sweet pepper on appetite and energy intake in humans in negative and positive energy balance”
Authors: H.C. Reinbach, A. Smeets, T. Martinussen, P. Møller, M.S. Westerterp-Plantenga
Abstract available here

Green Tea Compounds Prevent Memory Loss From Lack of Oxygen

People with sleep apnea, a disorder that affects more than 12 million people in the United States, literally stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes for a minute or longer. With the most serious form, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), this can happen hundreds of times during a single night and deprive the brain of oxygen.

The result? Possible brain damage causing memory problems. In fact, people with OSA are known to have increased markers of oxidative stress and exhibit changes in their brain tissue in areas involved in learning and memory.

But natural substances in green tea appear to stave off these OSA-caused cognitive deficits according to new research published in the second issue for May of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Scientists studied the effects of green tea polyphenols (GTP, for short) on rats who were intermittently deprived of oxygen in order to simulate the lack of oxygen, known as hypoxia, that humans with OSA experience. Chronic hypoxia in rats is known to produce similar neurological deficit patterns seen in humans with sleep apnea.

Previous research has shown that GTPs may reduce the risk of a variety of different diseases, most likely because they possess anti-oxidant properties and act as free radical scavengers. "OSA has been increasingly recognized as a serious and frequent health condition with potential long-term morbidities that include learning and psychological disabilities," David Gozal, M.D., professor and director of Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute at the University of Louisville, said in a prepared release for the press. "A growing body of evidence suggests that the adverse neurobehavioral consequences imposed by hypoxia stem, at least in part, from oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling cascades."

Green Tea and DHA: Nutrients Promote Health and Assist Weight Loss

(NaturalNews) Green tea and the Omega-3 fatty acid DHA combine to provide a powerful natural shield against certain forms of cancer, heart disease, stroke and dementia while assisting weight loss and maintenance. 

Both of these nutrients directly target gene sequences which have been shown to lower disease risk while increasing base metabolism to burn more calories. Include green tea and DHA in your nutritional arsenal to prevent a wide array of potentially lethal illnesses and reach your ideal weight loss goal.

Harness the Power of Green Tea Against Cancer
The active antioxidant compound in green and white tea is Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which has been shown to exert significant anti-cancer properties by fighting development and proliferation of rogue cells. EGCG works by switching off the genes responsible for cancer initiation while influencing natural cell death to prevent replication. Chemical components of green tea further help to cut off the blood supply cancer cells need to grow while lowering levels of dangerous systemic inflammation known to promote cancer as well as many other diseases.

Green Tea Boosts Metabolism
The results of a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition provide evidence that EGCG increases fat oxidation by 33% through accelerated metabolism. Green tea has also been shown to inhibit fat cell formation and improve excretion of fat from abdominal adipose tissue. This study found that fat was burned at a higher rate for 2 hours after eating and deceased rapidly after that point. The study authors recommend drinking green tea or supplementing with EGCG prior to eating for maximum benefit.

The researchers also noted that higher intake of green tea or EGCG does not necessarily translate into increased levels of fat oxidation. Fresh brew your own green tea or use low dose EGCG supplements (300 mg or less) to receive the full fat metabolism effect.

DHA Provides Support for the Heart and Brain
DHA is one of two Omega-3 fats found in fish and distilled fish oil. DHA has been shown to lower levels of inflammation, provide a thinning effect to blood platelets to prevent clotting and reduce dangerous triglycerides in the blood. These benefits all contribute to the heart health benefits of DHA as research demonstrates that supplementation can cut the risk of sudden death from a heart attack by one-third.

DHA is the preferred fat used in brain cell neurons as well as in most other cells in the body. Its unique properties allow for oxygen and nutrients to easily pass through the cell wall. When this vital fat is deficient, other fats must be used which create a stiffer cell membrane leading to cellular death and disease.

DHA Prevents Fat Accumulation
DHA works by influencing genes which control blood sugar, insulin secretion and fat accumulation. This Omega-3 fat targets the bioactive white adipose cells and affects how triglycerides in the blood are either burned for fuel or allowed to be stored as fat. The results of a study published in the International Journal of Obesity demonstrate the addition of DHA and Omega-3 fats increased weight loss in a group of overweight men by 28% compared to those who didn`t supplement.

It`s no surprise that natural nutrients and supplements act to promote health and assist weight loss. Green tea and DHA fats are prime examples of an intricate mechanism evolved over generations which our body uses to support our health. Incorporate these powerful nutrients into your lifestyle for improved quality of life and longevity.

Drinking Tea Can Lower Your Levels of Iron

With its bounty of antioxidants and relatively moderate levels of caffeine, tea is one of the healthiest beverages around. But drinking tea is said to block the body’s absorption of dietary iron, potentially causing a deficiency.

Studies have shown that there is some truth to the idea. Compounds in tea called tannins can act as chelators, binding to minerals and inhibiting the body’s ability to absorb them. Although that can reduce a person’s levels of iron, studies have also found that it is unlikely to have much of an impact.


In one study, scientists examined the effect by having people eat a typical meal — a hamburger, string beans and mashed potatoes — and then measuring their iron levels after the meal was combined with various drinks. When the subjects ate the meal with tea, there was a 62 percent reduction in iron absorption. Drinking coffee resulted in a 35 percent reduction. Orange juice increased iron absorption by about 85 percent.


But there was a twist. Coffee and tea affected only the levels of non-heme iron, the kind found in grains and vegetables. Heme iron, found in meat, fish and poultry, was unaffected.
Because most Americans generally get more iron from their diets than needed, a daily cup or two of coffee or tea is unlikely to lead to low levels of iron.

Benefits of green tea

The many health benefits of drinking green tea are widely known — it can help reduce cholesterol and may protect against certain cancers and glaucoma. When applied to your skin, green tea is a potent antioxidant that helps skin retain moisture and reduces the appearance of wrinkles, says Longwill. Look for green tea in facial and body washes, masks, and moisturizers. For a refreshing treat, apply green tea bags dampened with cold water to your eyes for 10 to 15 minutes.