Green tea’s long-standing reputation has led to coverage in health magazines and blogs, but research on the benefits of the beverage have been mixed.

Supporters assert green tea aids in weight loss, improves blood flow, lowers cholesterol, helps with cardiovascular health and even has a positive impact on cancer. It’s important to review the data to understand the specific reasons for incorporating green tea into your diet.

About Green Tea Benefits

Green tea contains flavonoids, polyphenols and antioxidants derived from plants. Among other ingredients, green tea has an active substance called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a catechin, which boosts the metabolism, stops cell damage and slows the development of diseases.

Systems in the body are interconnected. When something benefits the heart, it’s likely it will also benefit the brain and blood vessels. Green tea has been known to improve various bodily functions and processes, including:

• Weight loss
• Diabetes
• Cholesterol
• Brain Health
• Cardiovascular Health
• Cancer
• Relaxation

In the Data

Researchers have begun to examine green tea in an effort to provide clear-cut evidence about its benefits. The University of Maryland Medical Center, along with WebMD and others, have outlined a number of health claims associated with drinking green tea.

Weight Loss

One of the most popular claims associated with green tea is weight loss, though researchers have not come to a solid consensus. While some studies show EGCG can promote weight loss by boosting the metabolism, others show no significant link. However, green tea is a good option for individuals looking to cut sugar-laden soda consumption, which can lead to obesity.

For this reason, green tea is also regarded as a good addition to diabetes treatments. Catechins in green tea are believed to reduce blood sugar and keep levels stable. 

Cholesterol

Green tea contains antioxidants that raise good cholesterol while lowering bad cholesterol. The polyphenols work to stop the absorption of the negative cholesterol, helping the arteries to function better. The oxidation of bad cholesterol is blocked, helping to reduce levels in the blood.

The Archives of Internal Medicine published a study conducted in China that illustrated drinking green tea can reduce the risk of developing hypertension by 46 to 65 percent. Another study showed “men who drink green tea are more likely to have lower total cholesterol than those who do not drink green tea,” according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Brain Function

A study conducted by the University of Basel in Switzerland linked green tea benefits to better memory function. The researchers took MRIs of people who drank green tea and discovered their working-memory was improved. Green tea also slows the formation of Alzheimer’s disease by stopping plaques from forming in the brain.

“The MRI showed increased connectivity between the parietal and the frontal cortex of the brain,” according to researchers. “These neuronal findings correlated positively with improvement in task performance of the participants.”

Cardiovascular Health

The antioxidants in green tea show that it also helps the functioning of the cardiovascular system. The properties of green tea that improve blood pressure work to prevent coronary artery disease, heart failure and other cardiac issues.

In 2013, researchers reviewed a number of studies and confirmed the preventative benefits of green tea in the cardiovascular system. The studies, carried out over extended periods, included large sample groups to understand how tea affects people with different diet and lifestyles.

Studies show that the risk of heart disease is lowered when bad cholesterol is reduced. Researchers found that drinking three cups of tea per day decreases the risk of heart attack by 11 percent.

Cancer

Scientists have found evidence showing green tea can have a positive impact on skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder cancer. While green tea benefits should not be used as a singular treatment for cancer, it has been proven to help healthy cells grow stronger.

The polyphenols in green tea are believed to help prevent cancer, with a correlation between the fact that tea consumption is high while cancer rates are low in Asian countries. According to the National Cancer Institute, it “does not recommend for or against the use of tea to reduce the risk of any type of cancer.”

Relaxation

Because it allows you to slow down, drinking tea has a positive effect on stress. Green tea contains theanine, an amino acid that binds to GABA receptors, changes brain waves and calms the nervous system.

The theanine compound has been shown to reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure and improve sleep. Green tea contains the highest amount of theanine.

A Daily Routine

According to Harvard Women’s Health Watch, the best way to maximize the green tea benefits is by drinking three cups a day. Consuming tea multiple times a day will help the body to utilize its potent compounds.

Catechins are best absorbed when consumed fresh, after letting the tea steep for three to five minutes. Steer clear of decaffeinated, instant and bottled teas, which are less powerful. Be sure to prepare the tea yourself.

In some cases, an ingredient present in tea called tannin may affect nutrient absorption. Always drink tea between meals to maintain your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from fruits and vegetables, according to Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

Tea can impede the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables. The addition of lemon or milk in the tea can help, too.

While green tea doesn’t provide a definite cure-all, research has shown it can offer a number of benefits with regular and proper consumption.

The post The Real Benefits of Drinking Green Tea appeared first on Citizens Report.

The truth is, trendy diets can be dangerous. In addition to metabolic damage, bad diets can cause chronic health issues to worsen. Plus, the pounds may pile back on when a crash diet is discontinued.

A proper diet is an essential part of taking on diseases, like diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure or cardiac complications. For seven years, U.S. News has released a list of Best Diets to help Americans identify the scientifically safe and effective eating plans.

Ranked by 20 health experts, the diets are vetted by professors, wellness consultants and nutritionists. The experts base rankings on a combined analysis of weight loss, nutrition and safety levels associated with each diet. Reviewers also measure if the plan is easy to follow, factoring in convenience, cost, fullness and taste.

Here’s our simple summary of U.S. News’ Best Diets of 2016.

4. Weight Watchers Diet (tie)

Founded in 1963, Weight Watchers has been a household name for decades. With a slew of rotating celebrity spokeswomen, Weight Watchers has created a reputation as a simple and effective weight loss plan.

Weight Watchers provides clear-cut instructions through a variety of tracking systems while offering group resources, in-person meetings and check-in calls. The SmartPoints system assigns a numerical value to each food item, with bad foods high in fat and sugar equal to heavier points. Filling and nutritionally dense foods will cost the least. The SmartPoints system also makes room to cheat from time to time, which can be great for individuals who seek structured breaks.

The Weight Watchers plan should result in a 2-pound loss each week. The program helps participants to change their lifestyle with the Weight Watchers Beyond the Scale Program, which has resulted in participants losing 15 percent more weight in their first two months following the new program. Learn more about Weight Watchers.

4. TLC Diet (tie)

TLC, also known as Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, is considered to be a complete and safe dietary approach. Experts ranked it positively because it lacks nutritional weaknesses. However, it requires a self-starter mindset and can be difficult to follow.

The TLC diet focuses on limiting saturated fats found in meat, whole milk and fried foods, while simultaneously consuming more fiber. The plan offers sample menus, but no recipes. Crafted by the National Institutes of Health Cholesterol Education Program, the diet is meant to lower bad cholesterol by 8 to 10 percent in six weeks.

The American Heart Association supports the TLC diet for its ability to reduce the risk of cardiac disease, such as heart attack and stroke. The TLC diet is viewed as a potential method of maintaining healthy cholesterol without taking pharmaceuticals. A guide can be found here.

4. Mayo Clinic Diet (tie)

Mayo Clinic, a well-known digital resource for all things health, created a diet meant to transform into a lifelong practice. The two-part “Mayo Clinic Diet” book actually teaches you how to eat by analyzing 15 lifestyle habits.

In the beginning, the plan doesn’t focus on the calorie count. It instructs participants to stop eating while watching TV and eat out less often. The second part provides a guide to numerical calorie consumption and where good nutrients should come from.  The plan doesn’t cut out any food group completely, since it’s more of an eating pattern than a diet.

The diet’s main claim to fame is its effect on diabetes. In addition, it should result in weight loss of  6 to 10 pounds in two weeks and continued loss of 1 to 2 pounds each week. Mayo Clinic has created a food pyramid with low-energy density fruits, veggies and whole grains. Check out the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool.

4. Flexitarian Diet

Created in 2009, the Flexitarian diet simply flexible vegetarianism. It provides a meal plan for individuals who are interested in eating healthier, losing weight and having the benefits of vegetarianism, but still want to eat meat occasionally. The Flexitarian diet claims to add 3.6 years to a practitioner’s life.

The diet focuses on adding plant-based proteins, such as tofu, beans, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds, and eggs. It calls for consuming more fruits and veggies, but doesn’t eliminate any food groups. The diet provides a five-week meal plan that’s easy to follow, with breakfast choices recipes at 300 calories, lunch recipes at 400 and dinners at 500.

Registered dietitian Dawn Jackson created the guidelines, outlined in her book “The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease and Add Years to Your Life.” Jackson encourages people to “Eat more plants, and do the best that you can.”

3. MIND Diet

The MIND diet, also known as Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, is a combination between the DASH and Mediterranean diets, The main purpose of the MIND diet is to improve brain functioning and health. The diet utilizes 10 brain-focused foods, including green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine. Greens powders such as Athletic Greens AG3 are also an excellent way to get a ton of micronutrients and antioxidants quickly and easily from just one scoop.

The diet ranks high because of its sensibility. Similarly, the MIND diet involves cutting red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheeses, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.

The plan was crafted by Rush University Medical Center Martha Clare Morris nutritional epidemiologist based on a study funded by the National Institute on Aging. Information about the plan can be found in The Mind Diet book.

2. Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is an eating pattern based on traditional habits individuals living on the Mediterranean sea, as Mediterranean families generally live longer and do not experience high rates of chronic disease. The diet can help with cancer and diabetes prevention, heart and brain health and weight loss.

The plan involves limiting consumption of red meat, sugar and saturated fat compounded with a lot of produce, nuts and other healthy foods, such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and herbs and spices. The diet calls for fish a few times a week, poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt occasionally. It allows for sweets, red meat and a little red wine.

The diet was created by the non-profit think tank Oldways and the Harvard School of Public Health. Check out the Oldways Mediterranean diet pyramid to learn more.

1. DASH Diet

The DASH diet focuses on developing healthy eating patterns to treat high blood pressure. The theory is simple: by eating clean food and incorporating potassium, calcium, protein collection and fiber, you can fight hypertension.

Each individual should measure the proper amount of calories for age and activity, and get those calories from fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy. The plan discourages consumption of sweets and red meat, and limits salt.

The diet also reminds participants to stay active for 15 minutes a day. The eating plan was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The NHLBI offers a brief guide to the DASH diet, in addition to a detailed guide.

In recent generations, it’s become clearer that food is medicine. Short-term diets never work, and they never result in sustained weight loss. The key to nutrition-based health is fostering long-term lifestyle patterns that focus on conscious, purposeful eating.  

The post Experts Rank The Top 7 Best Diets Of 2016 appeared first on Citizens Report.

Setting clear wellness goals will make a big difference as you move through the decades. It’s important to remember a healthy brain and body improves functioning in all aspects of your life. If you start a self-care system now, all you’ll have to worry about is some stray grays and a few wrinkles—better known as laugh lines, of course.  

Experts have come to a consensus about the most prominent health tips and practices to keep you feeling fresh, young and ready to take on the next task. We’ve curated an outline of basic reminders for a better you. 

Check out our top six health tips:

Diet and Exercise

A better diet and more exercise are regarded as the cornerstones of optimal health. But with so many fad diets, exercise tools and general industry mumbo jumbo, it may be hard to find a place to start.

It’s essential to consume fruits, vegetables and whole grains, in addition to protein and vitamins like calcium and B12. According to the American Heart Association, there are a few basic dietary guidelines to stick to:

• Use at least as many calories as you take in
• Eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups
• Eat less of the nutrient-poor foods, such as foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and sodium

When it comes to exercise, research shows that adults should engage in  30 minutes of moderate physical exercise five days a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity three days a week. Of course, it’s important to remember that everyone is different.

Developing a personalized plan based on your age, gender and medical history is the best bet. Also, if you have specific goals for your diet and exercise, like losing weight or getting more toned, Prevention provides a guide on how to target your focus.

Diabetes Prevention

A sweet tooth is a common, and seemingly harmless, everyday vice. But the majority of people develop diabetes later in life. In fact, symptoms may not show until you hit your mid-40’s. Type 2 diabetes, also known as gestational diabetes, can sneak up on you and cause serious complications down the line.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body can no longer produce the right amount of insulin. A sedentary lifestyle compounded with excess weight and high sugar consumption exacerbates the risk of type 2 diabetes, among other factors.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases provides more than 50 ways to prevent type 2 diabetes, such as reducing portion sizes, dancing regularly and buying a reusable water bottle to deter you from drinking sugary drinks.

If you think you may be at risk for diabetes, you should also follow self-screening instructions available at DoIHavePrediabetes.org and make an appointment with a physician as soon as possible. You should also check your teeth if they’re decaying because of your sweets intake. Consult an expert like Durham Dental services and get them checked.

Balance Training

As you get older, your bones begin to weaken and become less able to withstand injury. For some, osteoporosis is a looming risk. Ans depending on your age and medical history, a slip or fall could be fatal.

By developing mind and body awareness, you’ll cultivate better balance when cooking, cleaning or on the go. But if you need structure, yoga is a great place to start.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, yoga is one of the top 10 most popular health approaches. Yoga provides clear-cut pose routines to help you stay focused and on your feet.

Even better, you don’t need to sign up for expensive weekly classes. Download free yoga sessions at Yoga Academy, or visit YouTube to start a daily practice at home.

Posture Awareness

While the promotion may be great for your resume, it might not be the best thing for your health. If you work in an office, it’s likely that you spend a lot of time hunched over a computer screen.

Hunchback, referred to in the scientific community as kyphosis, is the development of an abnormal curvature of the spine. Kyphosis affects the cervical, thoracic and sacral regions. Researchers have linked it to complications such as arthritis, Scheuermann’s disease and osteoporosis.

While yoga helps to release tension in the spine, posture braces may be a good option for when you’re sitting, crunching numbers or staring at a screen. And while a brace may not force your back to stay straight, it will provide a gentle reminder to correct your stance. Spine Universe discusses the benefits of bracing and if it’s an appropriate treatment for you.

Sexual Activity

Many people are surprised to learn that sex is healthy. Once you’re protected against disease or unintended pregnancy, sex can be healing for both the mind and body.

Regular sexual activity brings a number of positive biological and psychological impacts. One study, published in the Public Library of Science journal, illustrates that sex can be used for cardiovascular exercise. The benefits of sexual activity also include increased circulation, headache relief and improved sleep.

Sex and intimate touch release a hormone called oxytocin, which increases social bonding and reduces stress. According to Healthline, sex has a number of additional benefits, including:

• Lowering blood pressure
• Burning calories
• Increasing heart health
• Strengthening muscles
• Reducing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and hypertension
• Increasing libido

However, as you age, it may be harder to perform in the bedroom. If you’re having difficulties in your sex life, be honest with your partner. Together, you can find a plan to boost your sex life. If you need help working up to open communication, talk to a physician or sex therapist who can offer you resources for dysfunction.

Practicing Self-Care

Finding time for yourself on a busy day can be difficult. It may seem like there’s never a moment to relax, take a step back and breathe. Eating right, exercising daily and sleeping at least eight hours each night are essential to overall health. But even if you’re keeping up with the major tenants, there are other parts of self-care that may be left out. 

Emerging science has started to confirm the benefits of mindfulness, defined by the American Psychological Association (APA) as “a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment.”

Mindfulness cultivates gratitude and encourages you to care for yourself in new ways, mentally and physically. Mindfulness also has other benefits, according to the APA, including:

• Reduced rumination
• Stress reduction
• Boosts to working memory
• Focus
• More cognitive flexibility
• Relationship satisfaction
• Enhanced insight and intuition

Remember, change takes time. If you have trouble creating a new routine that works for you, don’t be embarrassed to seek help. The organization Find Mindfulness offers introductory courses for daily practices and meditation. However, there are a number of free guided meditations available as online podcasts on YouTube or Spotify. Online casinos can also offer an entertaining and engaging way to relieve stress. Plus, with online casinos, you can experience the rush of gambling without even leaving your home. So, why not check this review and see if gambling can be your stress reliever.

When your mind and body are working together cohesively, you’re able to be your best self. And that’s something we can all get behind, no matter our age, current habits or everyday challenges. Here’s to a better you! 

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