Yet more benefits from green tea

A review by researchers suggests long-term consumption of green tea could be beneficial in fighting diet-induced obesity and type II diabetes. Drinking the beverage may also reduce the risk of coronary disease. The newly published research highlights the benefits of consuming "catechins" which are contained in green tea (source: BioMed Central Chinese Medicine).

Green tea may reduce tooth loss

Drinking one cup a day of green tea may improve dental health and reduce the risk of losing teeth by about 20 per cent, according to a new study from Japan. Drinking more cups appears to confer additional risk reductions, with five or more cups a day associated with a 23 per cent reduction in risk, according to the findings (source: Nutra Ingredients, Preventive Medicine).

Drink green tea to help eye health

Drinking green tea may improve the health of your eyes. Laboratory tests showed antioxidants found in the drink can be absorbed deep inside the eye, helping to protect it against disease. Antioxidants are natural chemicals that neutralise free radicals, the potentially damaging molecules linked to disease. Green tea is rich in these and is said to have a wide range of health benefits, including fighting cancer.

Although previous studies have suggested green tea may reduce the risk of conditions such as glaucoma, new research confirms the eyes can actually absorb antioxidants from the blood. In the study, scientists measured levels in eye tissue. They found the retina, the area at the back of the eye where images are formed, soaked up the most while the cornea, the clear outer layer of the eye, absorbed the least (source: Daily Mail).

Green tea may block lung cancer

Drinking green tea may offer some protection against lung cancer, say experts who studied the disease at a medical university in Taiwan. The latest work, on more than 500 people, adds to growing evidence suggesting the beverage has anti-cancer powers. In the study, smokers and non-smokers who drank at least a cup a day cut their lung cancer risk significantly, a US cancer research conference heard (from BBC).