By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

January 5, 2018

 

• Sip on this for great health in 2018
• The ancient beverage that could extend your life
• Here’s what drinking green tea can do for you

Every year when January rolls around, I find that my patients are more excited than ever to renew their health. It’s a time of year when more people than ever commit to eating healthier foods, getting more exercise and establishing a better sleep schedule.

Still, everyone wants to know if there is some secret food that can give them an advantage in the New Year. “Should I eat more kale?”… “What if I start drinking bone broth every day?”…

As I’ve stated before, I don’t necessarily recommend zeroing in on a single food for spectacular health benefits. You’re much better off mixing things up with a wide variety of fresh organic fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, beans, herbs, spices and healthy fats on a regular basis.

However, there is one simple thing can easily add to your diet that may just give you the extra leverage you’re looking for. But it’s not a food.

The #1 Beverage Everyone Should Drink in 2018

Even when you’re doing everything else in your life well, there is one area that almost everyone needs help in. That’s choosing the healthiest beverages to get them through the day.

Water is always a great choice. But it’s not something that everyone sticks with. I notice that even the healthiest-minded people often make poor beverage choices.

Canned or bottled sodas and teas are loaded with sugar, HFCS and artificial sweeteners. Fruit juices are spiked with sugars, syrups and artificial ingredients. And most vegetable juices contain enough sodium to start a salt mine.

Even sports drinks and nutritional shakes often contain excessive amounts of sugar, sodium and artificial sweeteners.

My recommendation:

If you choose to drink something other than water, opt for green tea. It’s something you can drink several times a day without worrying about a single negative health effect. In fact, every time you enjoy a cup or glass of green tea, you’ll put yourself one step closer to living a longer life. One filled with health and vitality.

Here’s What Drinking Green Tea can do for You

Medicinally speaking, green tea has been recognized as a “cure-all” for centuries. And today’s top-notch researchers have consistently validated the health benefits of this legendary drink.

• People who drink six or more cups of green tea daily may be able to slash their risk of diabetes by about a third.

• Older women who enjoy one to three cups of tea daily have greater bones density than women who aren’t tea-drinkers.

• Habitual tea consumption of more than six years is shown to protect against arterial stiffness, which is vital for maintaining normal blood pressure and a healthy heart.

• People who drink three or more cups of green tea each day could have up to a 21% lower risk of stroke than those who drink less than one cup a day.

• One to five cups of tea daily reduces the risk of a cardiovascular death by around 14%.

And here’s the icing on the cake.

Individuals who drink about three cups of green tea each day have longer telomeres than people who don’t. And they aren’t just a little bit longer… they’re a lot longer! In fact, green tea drinkers have telomeres that are about five years younger than people who don’t drink it.

I’ve talked about telomeres before. These are strands of DNA found at the ends of your chromosomes. And it’s these stretches of DNA that make it possible for your cells to divide and replicate. They also preserve your genetic code.

But as your cells divide and your chromosomes grow older, these telomeres get shorter and shorter. And the quicker your telomeres shorten, the faster you age. Shortened telomeres open you up to an increased risk of many health issues. Longer telomeres, on the other hand, are associated with robust health and a longer lifetime.

This means that you not only get multiple health benefits from drinking green tea, you may also be able to extend your life.

So in addition to all of the other healthy changes you’re making this year, make it a point to drink several cups of green tea each day.

Just make sure you don’t ruin your tea by adding cream, sugar or other unhealthy flavorings.

If you like it sweet, I recommend using a little stevia. It’s an all natural sweetener that has a positive effect on your weight, blood sugar and insulin response. If you like it creamy, try a milk alternative like almond or coconut milk.

SOURCES:

Iso H, et al. The relationship between green tea and total caffeine intake and risk for self-reported type 2 diabetes among Japanese adults. Ann Intern Med. 2006;144:554–62.

Hegarty VM, et al. Tea drinking and bone mineral density in older women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;71:1003–7.

Lin QF, et al. A Cross-sectional Study of the Relationship Between Habitual Tea Consumption and Arterial Stiffness. J Am Coll Nutr. 2016 May-Jun;35(4):354-61.

Arab L, et al. Green and black tea consumption and risk of stroke: a meta-analysis. Stroke. 2009;40:1786–92.

Kuriyama S, et al. Green tea consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all causes in Japan: the Ohsaki study. JAMA. 2006 Sep 13;296(10):1255-65.

Chan R. “Chinese tea consumption is associated with longer telomere length in elderly Chinese men.” British Journal of Nutrition. 2010;103:107-113.