WASHINGTON – A soothing cup of tea is no longer just for fighting off a cold.
At the recent International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health in D.C., researchers promoted the many benefits that drinking tea has on chronic illness.
Green tea in particular may help reduce the risk of fractures and improve bone mass, slowing the progress of osteoperosis. In a six-month study, 171 postmenopausal women consumed the equivalent of four to six cups a day. Within three months, the bone stress damage was reduced.
Tea contains flavonoids, which induce dilation of the arteries and could lead to a reduction in strokes, heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases.
Flavonoids in green and black tea can provide a probiotic effect in the lower gastrointestinal tract.
Black tea is thought to reduce blood pressure, leading to a reduction in strokes and cardiovascular diseases.
Tea can also help burn 100 calories a day.
WTOP’s Randi Martin contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
