Tea Polyphenols Destroy "Unfriendly" But Not "Friendly" Intestinal Bacteria

One of the amazing effects of tea catechins is their ability to destroy disease-causing bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium, especially when they reside in the digestive tract. One reason that the catechins can do this is they're not completely absorbed by the body during digestion. Instead, they hang around in the digestive tract for awhile until they’re broken down by the intestinal bacteria. This means that they linger longer than typical food or drink and have more time to exert their health-enhancing effects.

But if tea catechins are strong enough to kill major pathogens, what do they do to the “friendly” bacteria in your intestinal tract – the ones that you actually need in order to digest and absorb your food properly? To find out, scientists from the National University of Singapore looked at the effects of different tea catechins extracted from Yunnan Chinese tea on the growth of 28 kinds of intestinal bacteria, both “friendly” and pathogenic.

As expected, the catechins inhibited the growth of the disease-causing bacteria, especially Clostridium perfringens (a common cause of food poisoning), Clostridium difficile (which is linked to colitis), and Bacteroides (which can cause abscesses if the bacteria escape from the intestines). But the gut’s “friendly” bacteria, including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, were relatively unaffected by the tea catechins.

What does this mean for you? By drinking green tea you may be able to favorably increase the proportion of "friendly" to "unfriendly" bacteria in your intestines. And that could mean better digestion and better intestinal health.

Green Tea and Bacteria/Viruses

Bacteria and viruses are invisible to the naked eye, but they’re virtually everywhere. And while many of these one-celled organisms are harmless, others can cause raging infections that can kill a person in a matter of days. Both bacteria and viruses can be transmitted in many ways – through unwashed hands, spoiled food, contaminated surfaces, the exchange of bodily fluids or a cough or a sneeze, just to name a few.

The immune system is supposed to destroy these pathogens or at least keep them under control. But sometimes it’s simply too overworked to do so, or can’t finish the job even when operating at full steam. Fortunately, green tea may be able to help.

Green tea has its very own antibacterial and antiviral capabilities, most likely put there to defend the plant against invading insects, bacteria, fungi and viruses. And these defenses can be powerful! Studies have shown that tea catechins can fight or even destroy the bacteria that cause cholera, pneumonia, abscesses, botulism, dysentery and food poisoning, as well as those that cause cavities and bad breath. As for viruses, the catechins can inhibit the action of the flu virus, herpes simplex, polio, HIV and others.

The great part about all of this is that you may be able to “borrow” some of the incredible disease-fighting prowess of the tea leaf just by drinking "green tea". And it doesn’t take a gallon of tea to do this. One study found that the amount of catechins in just one cup of tea was 2-3 times greater than that needed to kill the bacteria that cause cholera..1 Just imagine what it may be able to do to less powerful bacteria!

Green Tea And Flu

Flu is a contagious infection of the nose, throat and lungs caused by the influenza virus. Every year during the late fall and winter, outbreaks of flu, usually caused by a single strain of the virus, spread rapidly throughout the world. Because the strain is constantly changing, the virus that causes the outbreak each year is a little different than ever before. But the results of these many strains of flu are the same: In the U.S. alone, tens of millions of Americans (5% -20% of us) are infected with flu every year, causing an estimated 70 million missed work days, 38 million missed school days and 200,000 hospitalizations every year.

Can green tea, with its antiviral properties, do anything about the flu? Scientists in Japan decided to put it to the test. The volunteers, 124 elderly nursing home residents at least 65 years of age who had received the flu vaccine, were divided into two groups. Each gargled three times a day for three months: one group with a tea catechin solution, the other with a solution containing no catechins.

At the study's end, just slightly over 1 percent of those who gargled with the catechin solution had contracted the flu compared to ten times as many who gargled with the non-catechin solution. And remember, all of these people had received the flu shot!

Clearly, when it comes to flu, prevention is the best medicine. So keep drinking your "green tea"!

Japanese Tea Drinking

Japanese tea usually indicates green tea. There are many kinds of green tea: gyokuro, sencha, macha, genmaicha, bancha, and more. To brew tasty green tea, water temperature is important. Change the temperature depending on the kind of green tea you are drinking.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 10

Here's How:

1. Cool boiling water in a kyusu tea pot or tea cups to the proper temperature.
2. Put green tea leaves in an empty kyushu tea pot.
3. Pour hot water over tea leaves.
4. Cover the lid and wait for a while before serving.
5. Serve green tea into individual yunomi tea cups.
6. When serving green tea, make sure not to leave any tea (liquid) in the tea pot.
7. You may brew green tea a few times from the same tea leaves.

Tips:

1. When brewing sencha green tea, use 160F degree hot water and brew about one minute in a tea pot.
2. To brew gyokuro green tea, use 110F degree hot water and brew about two minutes.
3. To brew hojicha, genmaicha, and bancha, use boiling water and brew just 15-20 seconds.
4. To drink macha green tea, shift 1 tsp of maccha green tea powder in a large tea cup and add 1/4 cup of 160F degree hot water in it, then stir quickly with a bamboo tea whisk.
5. Pouring hot sencha green tea over some ice in a cup makes iced green tea.

What You Need:

• To brew green tea, using a Japanese teapot called kyusu is the best.
• Tea cups called yunomi which has no handles.
• Green tea leaves
• Hot water

Chinese Tea Drinking

In The Art of Tea Drinking, Olivia Yang opens with the words: "The Chinese people are without a doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea." It's hard to exaggerate the importance of tea in Chinese culture. At various points throughout history, China's national drink has been designated as the state currency and used as cash.

The Origins of Tea

While references to tea in Chinese literature go back approximately 5,000 years, the origin of tea's use as a beverage is unclear. Ancient folklore places the creation of the brew at 2737 BC, when a camellia blossom drifted into a cup of boiled drinking water belonging to Emperor Shen Nung. However, most scholars credit a reference found in Erh Ya, an ancient Chinese dictionary, dated about 350 BC.

Originally, tea was valued for its medicinal qualities. It has long been known that tea aids in digestion, which is why many Chinese prefer to consume it after their meal. (Another interesting side effect for smokers is that tea hastens the discharge of nicotine from the body). The elevation of tea drinking to an art form began in the 8th century, with the publication of Lu Yu's "The Classic Art of Tea." The highly esteemed poet and former Buddhist priest had strict notions about the proper procedure for brewing, steeping, and serving tea. For example, only water from a slow-moving stream was acceptable, and the tea leaves had to be placed in a porcelain cup. The perfect milieu for enjoying the finished product was in a pavilion next to a water lily pond, preferably in the company of a desirable woman. (To be fair, his work also contained several practical tips for manufacturing tea, many of which are still in use today).

In the centuries following the publication of Yu's work, tea's popularity spread rapidly throughout China. Not only did tea drinking become a fitting subject for books and poems; Emperors bestowed gifts of tea upon grateful recipients. Later, teahouses began dotting the landscape. While the Chinese have never developed a ritualistic ceremony surrounding tea drinking resembling the Japanese Tea ceremony, they have a healthy respect for its role in their daily lives.

Types of Tea

Tea aficionados are often surprised to learn that all tea comes from the same source: the Camilla Sinensis bush. While there are hundreds are varieties of Chinese teas, most fall into four basic categories. Reputed to provide the most health benefits,white tea is made from immature tea leaves that are picked shortly before the buds have fully opened. Green tea are not fermented during processing, and thus retain the original color of the tea leaves. The most famous green tea is the expensive Dragon Well tea, grown in the hillsides of Hanghou. Also known as "red tea," black teas are made from fermented leaves, which accounts for their darker color. Popular varieties of black tea include Bo lei, a Cantonese tea often drunk with dim sum, and luk on - a milder tea favored by the elderly. Finally, oolong teas are partially fermented, resulting in a black-green tea. Examples of oolong tea include Soi sin, a bitter tasting brew cultivated in the Fukien province.

There is also a fourth category known as "scented teas," made by mixing various flowers and petals with green or oolong teas. The best known among these is jasmine tea. And white tea, made with unripened tea leaves that are still covered with a downy, silvery fuzz, is becoming quite popular.

While most of us have neither a pavilion nor a lily pond conveniently situated in our back yard, we can still indulge our penchant for this centuries-old beverage. With a little practice it's easy to brew the perfect cup of tea. And budding fortune-tellers who eschew tea bags can hone their skills in the art of tasseomancy(reading tea leaves).

Scientific studies of green tea

According to research reported at the Sixth International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention, sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research, a standardized green tea polyphenol preparation (Polyphenon E) limits the growth of colorectal tumors in rats treated with a substance that causes the cancer. "Our findings show that rats fed a diet containing Polyphenon E are less than half as likely to develop colon cancer," Dr. Hang Xiao, from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, noted in a statement.

A 2006 study published in the September 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded "Green tea consumption is associated with reduced mortality due to all causes and due to cardiovascular disease but not with reduced mortality due to cancer." The study, conducted by the Tohoku University School of Public Policy in Japan, followed 40,530 Japanese adults, ages 40-79, with no history of stroke, coronary heart disease, or cancer at baseline beginning in 1994. The study followed all participants for up to 11 years for death from all causes and for up to 7 years for death from a specific cause. Participants who consumed 5 or more cups of tea per day had a 16 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 26 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease than participants who consumed less than one cup of tea per day. The study also states, "If green tea does protect humans against CVD or cancer, it is expected that consumption of this beverage would substantially contribute to the prolonging of life expectancy, given that CVD and cancer are the two leading causes of death worldwide."

A study in the February 2006 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded "A higher consumption of green tea is associated with a lower prevalence of cognitive impairment in humans."

In May 2006, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine weighed in on the issue with a review article that looked at more than 100 studies on the health benefits of green tea. They pointed to what they called an "Asian paradox," which refers to lower rates of heart disease and cancer in Asia despite high rates of cigarette smoking. They theorized that the 1.2 liters of green tea that is consumed by many Asians each day provides high levels of polyphenols and other antioxidants. These compounds may work in several ways to improve cardiovascular health, including preventing blood platelets from sticking together (This anticoagulant effect is the reason doctors warn surgical patients to avoid green tea prior to procedures that rely on a patient's clotting ability) and improving cholesterol levels, said the researchers, whose study appeared in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Specifically, green tea may prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (the "bad" type), which, in turn, can reduce the buildup of plaque in arteries, the researchers wrote.

A study published in the August 22, 2006 edition of Biological Psychology looked at the modification of the stress response via L-Theanine, a chemical found in "green tea". It "suggested that the oral intake of L-Theanine could cause anti-stress effects via the inhibition of cortical neuron excitation."

Green tea history

Tea consumption had its origin in China more than 4,000 years ago. Green tea has been used as traditional medicine in areas such as China, Japan, India and Thailand to help everything from controlling bleeding and helping heal wounds to regulating body temperature, blood sugar and promoting digestion.

The Kissa Yojoki (Book of Tea), written by Zen priest Eisai in 1191, describes how drinking green tea can have a positive effect on the five vital organs, especially the heart. The book discusses tea's medicinal qualities, which include easing the effects of alcohol, acting as a stimulant, curing blotchiness, quenching thirst, eliminating indigestion, curing beriberi disease, preventing fatigue, and improving urinary and brain function. Part One also explains the shapes of tea plants, tea flowers, and tea leaves, and covers how to grow tea plants and process tea leaves. In Part Two, the book discusses the specific dosage and method required for individual physical ailments.

Over the last few decades green tea has been subjected to many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long-purported health benefits, with some evidence suggesting regular green tea drinkers may have lower chances of heart disease and developing certain types of cancer. "Green tea" has also been claimed useful for weight loss management.

Popular people died by mesothelioma

Mesothelioma, though rare, has had a number of notable patients. Hamilton Jordan, Chief of Staff for President Jimmy Carter and life long cancer activist, died in 2008. Australian anti-racism activist Bob Bellear died in 2005. British science fiction writer Michael G. Coney, responsible for nearly 100 works also died in 2005. American film and television actor Paul Gleason, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Principal Richard Vernon in the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, died in 2006. Mickie Most, an English record producer, died of mesothelioma in 2003. Paul Rudolph, an American architect known for his cubist building designs, died in 1997.

Bernie Banton was an Australian workers' rights activist, who fought a long battle for compensation from James Hardie after he contracted mesothelioma after working for that company. He claimed James Hardie knew of the dangers of asbestos before he began work with the substance making insulation for power stations. Mesothelioma eventually took his life along with his brothers and hundreds of James Hardie workers. James Hardie made an undisclosed settlement with Banton only when his mesothelioma had reached its final stages and he was expected to have no more than 48hrs to live. Australian Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd mentioned Banton's extended struggle in his acceptance speech after winning the 2007 Australian Federal Election.

Steve McQueen was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma on December 22, 1979. He was not offered surgery or chemotherapy because doctors felt the cancer was too advanced. McQueen sought alternative treatments from clinics in Mexico. He died of a heart attack on November 7, 1980, in Juárez, Mexico, following cancer surgery. He may have been exposed to asbestos while serving with the U.S. Marines as a young adult—asbestos was then commonly used to insulate ships' piping—or from its use as an insulating material in car racing suits. (It is also reported that he worked in a shipyard during World War II, where he might have been exposed to asbestos.

United States Congressman Bruce Vento died of mesothelioma in 2000. The Bruce Vento Hopebuilder is awarded yearly by his wife at the MARF Symposium to persons or organizations who have done the most to support mesothelioma research and advocacy.

After a long period of untreated illness and pain, rock and roll musician and songwriter Warren Zevon was diagnosed with inoperable mesothelioma in the fall of 2002. Refusing treatments he believed might incapacitate him, Zevon focused his energies on recording his final album The Wind including the song "Keep Me in Your Heart," which speaks of his failing breath. Zevon died at his home in Los Angeles, California, on September 7, 2003.

Christie Hennessy, the influential Irish singer-songwriter, died of mesothelioma in 2007, and had stridently refused to accept the prognosis in the weeks before his death. His mesothelioma has been attributed to his younger years spent working on building sites in London.

Bob Miner, one of the founders of Software Development Labs, the forerunner of Oracle Corporation died of mesothelioma in 1994.

Scottish Labour MP John William MacDougall died of "mesothelioma" on August 13th, 2008, after fighting the disease for two years.

Canberra journalist and news presenter, Peter Leonard also succumbed to the condition on 23 September 2008.

Terrence McCann Olympic gold medalist and longtime Executive Director of Toastmasters, died of mesothelioma on June 7, 2006 at his home in Dana Point, California.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis

Diagnosing mesothelioma is often difficult, because the symptoms are similar to those of a number of other conditions. Diagnosis begins with a review of the patient's medical history. A history of exposure to asbestos may increase clinical suspicion for mesothelioma. A physical examination is performed, followed by chest X-ray and often lung function tests. The X-ray may reveal pleural thickening commonly seen after asbestos exposure and increases suspicion of "mesothelioma". A CT (or CAT) scan or an MRI is usually performed. If a large amount of fluid is present, abnormal cells may be detected by cytology if this fluid is aspirated with a syringe. For pleural fluid this is done by a pleural tap or chest drain, in ascites with an paracentisis or ascetic drain and in a pericardial effusion with pericardiocentesis While absence of malignant cells on cytology does not completely exclude mesothelioma, it makes it much more unlikely, especially if an alternative diagnosis can be made (e.g. tuberculosis, heart failure).

If cytology is positive or a plaque is regarded as suspicious, a biopsy is needed to confirm a diagnosis of mesothelioma. A doctor removes a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope by a pathologist. A biopsy may be done in different ways, depending on where the abnormal area is located. If the cancer is in the chest, the doctor may perform a thoracoscopy. In this procedure, the doctor makes a small cut through the chest wall and puts a thin, lighted tube called a thoracoscope into the chest between two ribs. Thoracoscopy allows the doctor to look inside the chest and obtain tissue samples.

If the cancer is in the abdomen, the doctor may perform a laparoscopy. To obtain tissue for examination, the doctor makes a small incision in the abdomen and inserts a special instrument into the abdominal cavity. If these procedures do not yield enough tissue, more extensive diagnostic surgery may be necessary.

Picture Information:
CT scan of a patient with mesothelioma, coronal section (the section follows the plane the divides the body in a front and a back half). The mesothelioma is indicated by yellow arrows, the central pleural effusion (fluid collection) is marked with a yellow star. Red numbers: (1) right lung, (2) spine, (3) left lung, (4) ribs, (5) descending part of the aorta, (6) spleen, (7) left kidney, (8) right kidney, (9) liver.

Mesothelioma symptoms

Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma.

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include weight loss and cachexia, abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity). Other symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting abnormalities, anemia, and fever. If the cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

These symptoms may be caused by mesothelioma or by other, less serious conditions.

Mesothelioma that affects the pleura can cause these signs and symptoms:

• chest wall pain
• pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
• shortness of breath
• fatigue or anemia
• wheezing, hoarseness, or cough
• blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up (hemotypsis)

In severe cases, the person may have many tumor masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Tumors that affect the abdominal cavity often do not cause symptoms until they are at a late stage. Symptoms include:

• abdominal pain
• ascites, or an abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
• a mass in the abdomen
• problems with bowel function
• weight loss

In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:

• blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
• disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs
• jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
• low blood sugar level
• pleural effusion
• pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
• severe ascites

A "mesothelioma" does not usually spread to the bone, brain, or adrenal glands. Pleural tumors are usually found only on one side of the lungs.

How green tea and mesothelioma connected

Do you know that green tea and mesothelioma is very related each other?. As said first "mesothelioma is the dieases while green tea is the cure". Let's exposed this situation.

Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma happen inside the body and cannot detect while it growth. The sign and the symptom of mesothelioma usual in shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall) which are often called symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. While most mesothelioma cause many factor how cancer grow. Mesothelioma also effect at weight loss, which occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart.

Green Tea
Green tea is a type of tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis, that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures in Asia from Japan to the Middle East. Recently, it has become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally consumed. Green teas have about a third the caffeine content, by liquid volume, of coffee. Green teas contain two caffeine metabolites (caffeine-like substances): theophylline, which is stronger than caffeine, and theobromine, which is slightly weaker than caffeine.

What makes green tea and mesothelioma so relate?. The answers are oxidation and asbestos. As explain, mesothelioma caused by asbestos which come into lung from air. While oxidation is produced by green tea.

Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation. If tiny asbestos particles float in the air, especially during the manufacturing process, they may be inhaled or swallowed, and can cause serious health problems. In addition to mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis (a noncancerous, chronic lung ailment), and other cancers, such as those of the larynx and kidney. Nowadays, many manufacturing company which make world so full of asbestos, beside modernism is come into play and make effect worst.

Green tea consumption is reportedly associated with various health-promoting properties. For example, it has been shown to promote fat oxidation in humans at rest and to prevent obesity and improve insulin sensitivity in mice. Insulin is useful for make balance for better grade or blood level.

In a study performed at Birmingham (UK) University, it was shown that average fat oxidation rates were 17% higher after ingestion of Green Tea Extract than after ingestion of a placebo. Similarly the contribution of fat oxidation to total energy expenditure was also significantly higher by a similar percentage following ingestion of Green Tea Extract. This implies that ingestion of "Green Tea" Extract can not only increase fat oxidation during moderately intensive exercise but also improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in healthy young men.