The study that made the discovery

Xiaying Li, a researcher at Wuhan University of Science and Technology, alongside his colleagues, reviewed 19 studies, which included more than 1 million adults across 8 countries. They found out that the more cups of tea a person consumed daily, the more benefits they recorded. For example, participants in the study who drank one to three cups daily had a 4% drop in their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Those who consumed more per day had a higher percentage drop.

In a separate study published in August, researchers found that drinking two or more cups of black tea per day lowered the overall risk of death by 9% to 13% among 498,000 people in the U.K. during a 14-year period, as compared with those who drank no tea. The study also found a link between drinking multiple cups of tea per day and a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

Are all teas equal then?

Short answer: yes.

The researchers believe that the polyphenols they contain, which are naturally-occurring compounds in plants with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, are the reason why tea can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and even heart disease and stroke.

Since all teas — with the exception of decaffeinated teas — have polyphenols, then it does not matter what type you choose to have: as long as you’re taking several cups daily, you are sure to reap its benefits.

But, if you are really particular, then the Wush Wush green tea which originates from Ethiopia has the highest polyphenol content. But, we cannot all have access to this type, so really, whether you love black tea, green tea, or oolong, at least 3 cups a day can help keep diabetes (type II) at bay.

Does it matter how you have your tea?

Maki Inoue-Choi, PhD, a staff scientist at the National Cancer Institute told NBC News that she and her colleagues found that adding milk or sugar did nothing to reduce the health benefits of teas. She however noted that the participants tended to use those ingredients sparingly.

“The sweetened tea from the store has a lot more sugar,” she said. “We should still follow the dietary guidelines to avoid too much sugar and too much saturated fat.”

Should we all be drinking more tea then?

If you already love drinking tea, then increasing your daily dose should not be a problem. And it does not hurt to take up tea drinking as a hobby if it isn’t already a part of your lifestyle.

However, it is not mandatory. And since more research would need to be carried out to back up the conclusion of existing studies, then drinking several cups of tea a day to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and improve your overall well-being is not so much an order as it is a suggestion.

The post We may all need to ‘Spill the Tea’ for a Healthier and Diabetes-Free Life first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post We may all need to ‘Spill the Tea’ for a Healthier and Diabetes-Free Life appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

You are definitely on the right path, but this is not all you can do to reach your target weight and stay healthy. It’s also important to take a closer look at what you’re drinking. While sipping the wrong beverages would balloon your waistline, learning what you should be drinking could be a powerful tool in your journey.

Thankfully, upgrading your beverage habit is a lot easier than changing your entire diet – or that is what we like to think. But incorporating this particular beverage in your weight-loss to-do list is bound to help you greatly, especially as it slashes your calorie intake and supercharges your weight loss efforts.

And no, it is not some fancy magic drink in a colourful bottle with a long list of active ingredients you can almost not get through. Chances are that you might have it already  sitting pretty in your pantry but may simply not know how beneficial it is to you at this point in time.

Let’s cut to the chase: it’s tea. Green tea to be precise.

This steeped drink has been shown to have exceptional weight-loss powers. An International Journal of Obesity meta-analysis that looked at the results of 11 studies found a significant link between drinking green tea and weight loss. Another study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that Americans who consumed the hottest tea were less likely to be obese than those who didn’t drink tea. Not only did tea-drinkers have lower BMIs and smaller waistlines, but they also appeared to have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and inflammation.

Researchers believe that the weight regulating benefits of green tea can be attributed to its high levels of catechins, a specific class of bioactive compounds. The most prevalent catechin, EGCG (Epigallocatechin-3-gallate), has been shown to be responsible for much of the health-promoting effects of green tea. Although more research is needed to determine just how these compounds can help you lose weight, they believe that green tea catechins can increase fat oxidation, boost metabolism, decrease appetite, and may even block your cells from storing sugar as fat.

You won’t just be reaping weight loss benefits from green tea’s catechins, you’ll also get another fat-melting boost from caffeine. Ample evidence supports that caffeine stimulates the breakdown of fat as well as a boost in your calorie-burning metabolism. Researchers believe that it’s this synergistic combination of catechins and caffeine that makes green tea one of the best drinks for weight loss.

So how much tea do you need to drink per day to see the benefits?

The number varies based on the study. Some have shown health benefits in people who drink just one cup per day, while others say five or more cups is optimal. The European Journal of Nutrition study mentioned earlier found the greatest weight regulating benefits for those who drank multiple cups each day.

With multiple being more than one; however, those who consumed just one cup daily also reaped benefits.

However many cups you will eventually be downing a day, remember to pair it with all the other habits of exercise and a healthy diet you are already following. Like many other things in life, there is no one magic formula to shed extra weight.

Source: Eat This, Not That!

The post The Best Beverage to Indulge on Your Weight Loss Journey first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post The Best Beverage to Indulge on Your Weight Loss Journey appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.