08.29.06
The Asian Paradox
posted by Sandy M. Bushberg | 3 comments
What is the “Asian Paradox”? It refers to the fact that there is a greater amount of cigarette smoking in Asia, but a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer. What would cause that apparent contradiction? New research from Yale University suggests this may be due to the greater consumption of green tea in Asia.
August 28th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Many years ago I switched from coffee to tea for health reasons. Not because I was ill, but because I started reading the research on the negative effects of coffee. Since that time so much research has come out on the negative effects of coffee and the benefits of tea, I am so glad I made the switch, and highly recommend tea over coffee any day!
Dr. Linne Bourget, M.B.A., Ph.D
Founder/CEO Institute for Transformation Leaders and Consultants
August 28th, 2006 at 11:20 pm
All I know is I drink my green tea every day - I love it and I know its good for me! I do find the statistic very interesting — I wonder how much an active lifestyle also has to do with that? Here in the US we have a very sedentary life compared to Asians - they are much more on the move from what I’ve read. Interesting…
August 30th, 2006 at 12:45 am
Thank you for your very astute question Spryte. As we all should know by now, regular exercise plays a very important role in overall health.
This study was a meta-analysis (review study) of many different studies looking at the relationship of green tea and health. If you look at the individual studies themselves, you will find that many of them controlled for exercise as a variable (at least statistically).
So, although what you say about the difference in lifestyles between Americans and Asians is true, the greater protective health effects in Asians appears to be primarily from drinking green tea. As any researcher will tell you, however, more research needs to be done to know definitively.