[Stitcher]

A Cup of Black Tea Each Day Reduces Risk of Parkinson's Disease by Astonishing 71 Percent

http://www.naturalnews.com/023787.html
Tuesday, August 05, 2008 by: David Gutierrez | Key concepts: Parkinson's, Parkinson's disease and black tea

(NaturalNews) Drinking as little as three-quarters of a cup of this one tea each day may cut the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by as much as 71 percent, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the National Neuroscience Institute in Singapore and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder that disrupts movement and balance.

Researchers examined the incidence of Parkinson's disease in 63,257 Chinese women and men, and compared it to their intake of various beverages as determined by in-person questionnaires. The researchers found that higher caffeine intake was associated with a 45 percent lower risk of Parkinson's disease.

Even after they adjusted for this effect, however, the researchers found that those who drank 23 or more cups of black tea each month (less than one per day) still had a 71 percent lower risk of Parkinson's disease than those who drank less.

"Black tea, a caffeine-containing beverage, showed an inverse association with Parkinson's disease risk that was not confounded by total caffeine intake or tobacco smoking," the authors wrote. "[This suggests that] ingredients of black tea other than caffeine appear to be responsible for the beverage's inverse association with Parkinson's disease."

In contrast to prior studies, the current research found no protective effect from green tea, only black.

Much prior research has focused on the health benefits of green tea, which is believed to derive from the tea's high content of the polyphenols epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC).

Ann Walker of the Tea Advisory Panel welcomed the recent research into black tea, noting that prior studies on Parkinson's disease failed to differentiate between green and black tea consumption.

"A key difference between black tea and green tea lies in the types and amounts of flavonoids," Walker said. "Green teas contain more of the simple flavonoids called catechins. But when black tea is made, the catechins undergo oxidation resulting in the generation of more complex varieties, called thearubigins and theaflavins."

[jcitron]

Well that didn't help me much. I used to drink black tea all the time. So much for their studies. There must be some other factor in this besides the black tea.

John

[grant r]

Originally Posted by jcitron

Well that didn't help me much. I used to drink black tea all the time. So much for their studies. There must be some other factor in this besides the black tea.

John

John, you just may be the unlucky 29 or so percent...

Something I have found helpful is to steep some fresh rosemary with the tea. I can't source it, but I found the remedy on an herbal site somewhere... it worked for me. It doesn't taste so great, but it does help with muscle pain and stiffness. The bush is hardy and beautiful in the garden...

[jeanb]

Ok - so it's black not green tea that is good for us? i never drink either of them - but have been meaning to start.

[jcitron]

Originally Posted by grant r

John, you just may be the unlucky 29 or so percent...

Something I have found helpful is to steep some fresh rosemary with the tea. I can't source it, but I found the remedy on an herbal site somewhere... it worked for me. It doesn't taste so great, but it does help with muscle pain and stiffness. The bush is hardy and beautiful in the garden...

I'll have to give that a try. I'm usually on th e opposite side in most good races and contests. That's why I don't play the lottery!

John

[jeanb]

I'm brewing up a combination of green tee & black tea - which my husband I drink every day now.

I personally hate the taste of tea, so I flavor mine with the powdered lemonade

I add "mango flavoring" to my husband's.

That makes it palatable, and I'm going to TRY and drink it EVERY day!

[stevem53]

They also claim that tobacco and alcohol reduce the chances of getting pd

I drank like a pig for 23 years, and smoked like a chimney for 26 years

Must've over did it

[ZucchiniFlower]

I'm going to make a mixture of black and green, too.

I wonder if ice tea has the same benefits as fresh hot tea.

Anyway, I've been making ice green tea and drinking it with lemon juice and Splenda, so it tastes like lemonade with some tea thrown in.

I use the frozen Minute Maid lemon juice, that comes in a handy squirt container. I microwave it to thaw some and then put it back in the freezer.

I'm making a zillion typos lately, and have to take time to fix them. It's frustrating. I used to be a good typer.