Warm cup of a little green magic

We know wine has some nearly miraculous properties that make it beneficial to our health, but green tea has its own great qualities.

It took awhile for Americans to take to wine, but it is a booming industry and many people understand that using it in moderation is a good thing. It was almost unheard of several years ago for non-Asian cultures to drink tea as a beverage to be savored, but we are now beginning to realize tea can do much more than just soothe a sore throat. Green tea is generating a buzz that has helped elevate it to third in the U.S. after black and herbal teas.

Studies can’t prove cause and effect, not every study of tea has pointed to a link between tea consumption and good health, but there is mounting evidence to suggest that it certainly has its benefits. A freshly-brewed cup of tea can provide vigor of body, contentment of mind, and determination of purpose.

Many studies suggest tea can help prevent and treat heart trouble, increase bone density, and even fight cancers of the stomach, skin and breast. It is rich in antioxidants called polyphenols that neutralize molecules called free radicals, which damage cell tissue and contribute to chronic diseases and tumor formation. No one knows the amount of antioxidants needed for a therapeutic effect, but analysis suggests an 8-ounce cup of green tea may be as potent as one cup of blueberries.

A study by the United States and China published last year in the journal Carsinogesis involved more than 18,000 Chinese men and showed tea drinkers were half as much likely as non-tea drinkers to develop stomach or esophageal cancers.

A study at the University of Minnesota tracked more than 35,000 Iowa women and suggests menopausal women who drink two or more cups of tea a day had a 32 percent reduced risk of developing cancer of the digestive tract.

Researchers at the University of Arizona examined the habits of 450 tea drinkers, about half of whom had developed skin cancer. Both groups of people drank about the same amount of tea, but the cancer-free subjects drank stronger tea and drank it hotter.

Studies at the Aichi Cancer Center in Japan, meanwhile, tracked the health of 11,000 breast cancer patients and found evidence of lower recurrence among women who drank three or more cups of tea a day.

Tea may also protect the heart by relaxing blood vessels and inhibiting clots that can trigger a heart attack or stroke, and it may improve cholesterol levels. People who drink three or more cups a day may be 11 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack, according to Dr. Lenor Arhb, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina.

A Dutch study published in 1999 Archives of Internal Medicine involving more than 3,400 people with cardiovascular diseases found the risk of developing severe arteriosclerosis — which can lead to heart attack or stroke — was 40 percent lower among participants who drank two or more cups per day.

Even short-term use of tea appears to improve blood vessel functioning in patients with coronary disease, according to a study at the Boston University School of Medicine. And a Harvard University study found drinking two or more cups of tea a day may reduce the risk of dying after a heart attack. The more tea the subjects rank, the higher their chance of long-term survival.

That is just a few of the studies suggesting tea is good for you, but it seems to be common sense that a drink brewed from the leaves of a plant put here for our use would be harmful. Just think about the people you know who drink tea, or ask some of your friends if they drink it and how it makes them feel, and you will likely receive a favorable response. Tea, wine and the drinks of the Earth are for us to enjoy and better our health, so use them wisely and reap the rewards.

Anthony Scarano is not a doctor. He is an 88-year-old Evergreen Park resident, winemaker and certified naturopath. Suggestions in this space are solely the opinions of Mr. Scarano based on years of independent study and personal experience, and may not be beneficial to health. Wine should be consumed in moderation, as overindulgence may be harmful to health.