The Benefits of Consuming Tea
Dr. Alexander Jimenez DC, MSN-FNP, IFMCP, CIFM, ATN ?
Chiropractor, MSN-Nurse Practitioner & Functional Medicine Practitioner* ?Injury & Sciatica Specialist ? Health Coach ? Author ? 915-850-0900 ??
Do you feel:
- Inflammation in your gut or joints?
- Stress from a hectic day?
- Hormone imbalance?
- Shaky, jittery, or have tremors?
- Agitated, easily upset, nervous?
If you are experiencing any of these situations, then why not enjoy a cup of tea to relieve some stress from your hectic day.
Tea has been consumed by everyone and has been dated back since the Shen Nong dynasty in China. There is growing evidence that demonstrates that when people are drinking tea, it is beneficial to their health in various ways. In recent years, it has been established that there are antioxidative properties that are found in tea, especially in green tea, which has many components to help the body, especially L-theanine and caffeine. When a person drinks tea, the effects are quite favorable since the tea can help alleviate a person's mood, stress, and anxiety they might be feeling. Consuming tea has also been known to reduce the risk of cognitive decline, cancer incidents, and mortality in the body. As more research shows that all kinds of tea, especially the non-caffeinated varieties, can exert multiple health benefits in the GI tract since it has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity from its abundance of polyphenols.
Tea Consumption Benefits
Surprisingly the majority of studies that have been conducted have evaluated the effects of tea consumption on an individual's health. Neuropsychological measures have approached the consumption of tea. It has been focusing on the neuroimaging that can measure the structure and function of a person as they consume tea. Furthermore, studies have shown that even though the individual properties are being presented in tea consumption, the benefits that it provides can help improve cognitive abilities and reduce the risk of neurocognitive decline in the body. Even though the neuropsychological measures show individuals consuming tea, there are no significant effects; however, there are synergistic effects with a multi-constituent combination of brewing whole tea leaves for consumption.
A recent study that was published in the National University of Singapore has explored how the effects of tea consumption on the brain were being investigated, both structural and functional as system-level brain networks. Researchers did a study on how tea consumption can affect the structural and functional imaging of the brain in healthy older adults. There are previous studies that have suggested that the DMN (default mode network) that is within the brain is the primary contributing factor that involves in neurodegenerative and cognitive diseases and aging.
Cognitive Benefits From Tea
Therefore, researchers can measure the interregional connectivity that is associated with DMN and the hemispheric asymmetries that the brain has to test the effectiveness of a person consuming tea. The results showed that when anyone is consuming tea, that the beneficial tea's properties can improve the person's engagement in the preparation of task implementation. The results also provided evidence of tea drinking can positively contribute to the brain structure by making the network organization more efficient. When a person drinks tea regularly, the beneficial properties have a protective effect in reducing age-related cognitive decline in the brain as well.
Since the rates of neurodegenerative diseases are unfortunately climbing at a rapid rate in the United States, it is essential to know that dietary and lifestyle factors can play a crucial role in the development of diseases that can harm the body. Therefore, being educated on incorporating more brain-healthy foods and beverages into a daily diet is very important. Surprisingly, the Mediterranean diet incorporates antioxidant-rich foods that are beneficial to the body and preventing inflammation from reaching critical masses. Plus, adding a cup or two of high-quality tea and consuming it daily is an easy way for anyone to boost their overall polyphenols.
Surprisingly for anyone that needs a caffeine boost in the morning or has been experiencing the mid-afternoon slumps, they can consider switching a cup of coffee for a cup of tea. The benefits of tea consumption are that it can help the body give a boost of energy without the jittery effects that coffee provides. With tea, it can help the body relax after it has been through a hectic, busy day and can relieve stress, anxiety, and improve cognitive functions in the body. Studies found that a variety of different teas can exert positive health benefits like decreasing stress, improving alertness, and sustain attention and memory.
Conclusion
So drinking tea has been around for several millennia and has provided excellent benefits for the body. By drinking at least one to two cups of tea, it can dampen the effects of inflammation as well as giving a caffeinated boost in the morning or the afternoon slumps to anyone. So go and enjoy a nice cup of tea as well as its benefits. Some products are beneficial to the body by relieving temporary stress that the human body may encounter.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, and nervous health issues or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.
References:
Dietz, Christina, and Matthijs Dekker. “Effect of Green Tea Phytochemicals on Mood and Cognition.” Current Pharmaceutical Design, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28056735.
Journals LLC, Impact. “Habitual Tea Drinking Modulates Brain Efficiency: Evidence from Brain Connectivity Evaluation.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 11 Oct. 2019, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191011112235.htm.
Li, Junhua, et al. “ Habitual Tea Drinking Modulates Brain Efficiency: Evidence from Brain Connectivity Evaluation.” Aging, 14 June 2019, www.aging-us.com/article/102023/text.
of Singapore, National University. “Drinking Tea Improves Brain Health, Study Suggests.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 12 Sept. 2019, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190912100945.htm.
Team, DFH. “A Tea Party for the Microbiome.” Designs for Health, 27 Mar. 2019, blog.designsforhealth.com/node/983.
Team, DFH. “Neuroimaging Study Reveals Habitual Tea Drinkers Have Improved Cognitive Function.” Designs for Health, 17 Dec. 2019, blog.designsforhealth.com/node/1172.