Friday September 4, 2009 | 5 comments
If you want to age gracefully, both in the way you look and the way you feel, drink white tea regularly.
Scientists at Kingston University in London carried out a series of experiments testing the health benefits of 21 plant extracts. They found that although all of the plants showed some health-promoting properties, nothing came close to the potential health benefits of white tea.
They found that the white tea extract had significant ability to inhibit the enzymes that break down elastin and collagen, both proteins found in skin that help maintain its elastic and youthful appearance. Professor Naughton, one of the lead investigators, stated that these same enzymes, along with oxidative processes in the body, are also involved in the normal inflammatory processes of the body. Unfortunately, there are many inflammatory diseases where, due to a variety of factors, these reactive substances do not get shut off. As a result, he believes that white tea’s ability to inhibit these enzymes, and the presence of significant antioxidants in it, makes white tea a potentially powerful ally in combating rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers, in addition to reducing wrinkles. Dr. Naughton further reported that the research team used very small amounts of the white tea extract and were shocked at how well it performed across all of the tests.
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Now that’s great news. I love white tea but didn’t realize it was UBER healthy. I’m off for a cup right now.
Interesting, and encouraging! I’m curious though, if this was just done in a lab with a dropper, or if they actually tested this on humans? Would they have to always use an extract/concentrate, and how it would be applied or used?
I’ve read about how EGCG can stop the “anti-death” cells that help keep cancer cells alive, but that this has only worked in a lab, so while I see this as encouraging, I try not to get too hopeful. In any case, it certainly can’t hurt to drink more white tea, but I’ll admit I do like greens better!
This has not much to do with your fine blog. However… I want to know what the little white ovoid dish is called and where I can get one. Thanks
As a general rule, the tea drinking public should be skeptical of any study that tests extracts, concentrates or the dry leaf. The results often do not transfer to your cup. Many of the over the counter supplements that include tea extracts have the theoretical potency of dozens of gallons of green tea. In some cases the mere act of brewing changes the chemistry.
Ignoring the liquor and ignoring the quantity make the results irrelevant.
Yes, white tea is all that. However, Pu-erh tea is probably the healthiest of all the teas. Because not only does Pu-erh also have more antioxidants than green tea but it also has probiotics. Those are the friendly bacteria (much like what makes the yogurt culture) that render it a “living tea.” –Teaternity