Tea drinking and brain health - Are they related?

Tea has been around for centuries and tea drinking has such a rich and vibrant history. Have you noticed how year after year new studies conducted keep on discovering yet another health benefit of drinking tea?

Not only is tea good for you, it tastes great too! And unlike what most fair skin obsessed Indian and Southeast Asian parents believe and often dissuade their kids from this healthy beverage, drinking tea doesn't cause skin darkening.

Drinking tea, in fact has found to lower the risk of of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Not only that it has also been proven to reduce stress, lower the risk of stroke and LDL Cholesterol levels, increase HDL levels, strengthen the immune system, stave off type 2 diabetes, promote digestion, inhibit growth of bacteria in the mouth, prevent cavities and lower blood pressure. Also check these hair benefits that you can get from black tea.

While Chinese green tea is touted as one of the healthiest beverage, research has found that most types of tea also provide quite a lot of health and antioxidant benefits.

Does Tea Drinking improve brain health?

A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) revealed that regular tea drinkers have better organised brain regions -- and this is associated with healthy cognitive function -- compared to non-tea drinkers.

The research team recruited 36 adults aged 60 and above, and gathered data about their health, lifestyle, and psychological well-being.

Upon analysing the participants' cognitive performance and imaging results, the research team found that individuals who consumed either green tea, oolong tea, or black tea at least four times a week for about 25 years had brain regions that were interconnected in a more efficient way.

"When a road system is better organised, the movement of vehicles and passengers is more efficient and uses less resources. Similarly, when the connections between brain regions are more structured, information processing can be performed more efficiently," explains Asst Prof Feng, who led the study.

We have shown in our previous studies that tea drinkers had better cognitive function as compared to non-tea drinkers. Our current results relating to brain network indirectly support our previous findings by showing that the positive effects of regular tea drinking are the result of improved brain organisation brought about by preventing disruption to interregional connections, he adds.

Does milk tea or addition of milk in tea provide the same benefits?

The British and Indians consumes billions of cups of tea each day. It's a very popular drink in these countries but the caveat is that around 90 per cent of them drink their tea with milk. The study however does not take account of those who drank milky tea. So we never know whether milky tea provides the same benefits as black tea.

However drinking tea with milk isn't a great idea. We cannot get reap the full benefits of antioxidants in tea due to the added addition of milk. Do read the post Don't drink tea or green tea with milk.

Final Word

Now that you know that besides its stimulating properties and the ability to perk you up, the humble tea has several other wonderful benefits, including its amazing effects on brain health, why don't you take some time and try different types of tea and savour the various flavours? Do read these te(a)riffic facts about some favorite teas.

So next time you need to unwind after a long day, just brew a cup of your favorite tea, relax and enjoy while reminiscing the tremendous health benefits of this awesome beverage!

Do share in the comments about your favorite tea and why you like it and what benefits you got from it.

Comments

Highly Effective Indian Home remedies For Delayed Periods

Delayed periods or Irregular menstrual periods have become very common these days for a lot of women in their reproductive age and they suffer great agonies when their period does not come on time. A delay of 4-5 days may be fine but if it exceeds 8 days, then it's certainly a cause for concern. In this post, I'll be sharing highly effective Indian home remedies for your delayed periods . I'd been a long sufferer of irregular periods during my teenage to early twenties. I've tried most of the recipes here, along with Kapalabhati pranayama, yoga poses, mudras and other lifestyle habits. Now my periods are extremely regular like clockwork; not a day less or more than 28. When I look back, I'm surprised how I managed those years of anxiety and fear about my late periods.

11 things you can do with olive oil

Besides lemon , milk , sugar , aloe , turmeric , sandalwood and honey , olive oil is another household item that has multifarious uses as a beauty aid. It is a mild, non-irritant, antibacterial oil that is rich in antioxidants; hence is ideal for the skin. Here are a few things that you could do with olive oil .

Home remedies for sleeplessness

The day dawns beautifully for those who have had a night of good sleep. But the same day drags on for those who have spent a disturbing, sleepless night. Sleep is a biological necessity even as eating and drinking are. Sufficient sleep renders a person normally sociable, lively and high-spirited. It’s a nature’s way of rejuvenating the person for the next day. Realize all this, and make sleep a physiological habit. The consequences of long time sleep deprivation can be very grave. Lack of sleep takes its toll on the skin and hair. It causes acne-breakouts and makes one look aged and haggard beyond years. Experts opine that during sleep as our metabolic rate falls, blood goes to those areas which need the most repairing. This also steps up the production of collagen and keratin, which aid the regeneration of skin cells and help resist premature ageing. So for a younger looking and a problem free skin you need to have a good quality of sleep every night.

Get rid of head lice with these home remedies

Lice infestation is such a bothersome, distracting and embarrassing problem. Surely everyone harbors them at one time or the other. It is usually common among school children but soon spreads to other members of the family. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a sign of poor hygiene, as lice are not fussy whether they lay their eggs in clean or dirty hair. But yes, a dirty scalp can well serve as a perfect breeding ground for these tiresome creatures. Lice get transferred easily from child to child owing to the close contact of heads, during play, while sitting together or by sharing caps. Though there are many chemical and herbal over-the-counter preparations to remove lice, it is better to refrain from using them for they might also remove a good bit of your hair, while others could have a drying effect on the hair. There are many home-remedies which do work well but the age-old method of regular combing with a close-toothed comb on all counts, is the most eff...

Kapalabhati Pranayam for wrinkle-free, radiant complexion

Did you know that Kapalabhati Pranayam / kriya can also be used to enhance your beauty and ward off skin aging? Done the right way, Kapalabhati Pranayam can be used as a beauty aid - it can give you a wrinkle-free, luminous forehead and radiant complexion. Kapalabhati For Beauty ‘Kapalabhati’ Pranayam breathing exercise is an excellent way of maintaining good health and fighting diseases. ‘Kapala’ means ‘skull’ (and ‘forehead’ also) and ‘bhati’ means ‘shining’. By doing kapalabhati, the ‘nadis’(nerves) of the brain get good exercise. This is achieved by exercising the diaphragm. There will be a glow on the forehead. After the age of 25, the tell-tale signs of ageing start making their appearance in the form of fine lines on the forehead. A regular practice of Kapalabhati for 10-15 minutes everyday will give you a tight forehead sans wrinkles for many years to come. Avoid Botox, try Kapalabhati Why resort to Botox and other expensive chemical or surgica...