| In
a study done at the American Heart Association in New
Orleans, researchers found that tea drinkers have a
lower risk of heart attack and stroke.
Black
tea relaxes and expands arteries, thus increasing blood
flow to the heart. The eight-week study involved
50 men and women with coronary artery disease.
They drank four cups of either water or tea a day for
four weeks. The arteries of a healthy person
release the chemical called nitric oxide which causes
the artery to dilate. People with coronary artery
disease produce less nitric oxide and thus the areteries
do not dilate normally. The study revealed tea
reverse this abnormality while drinking water had no
effect.
Tea drinking also increases the amount of favonoids
in the blood. These are antioxidants which are
like those found in fruits and vegetables.
The high levels of antioxidants in black tea have
been found to not only improve artery function but also
to lower the rates of cancers. They have the
ability to stop the oxidation which causes damage to DNA
and turn normal cells into cancer cells.
Tea can
also help prevent tooth decay. It contains
fluoride and works better than the antibiotic
tetracycline. It fights bacteria in the mouth
that causes gum disease and cavity causing bacteria.
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