notify.php?id=4192&p=load
HTML Copy-and-Paste and TEXT Copy-and-Paste
Versions Of Article Are Available at:
http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/db/s/tea-prevent-food-poison.shtm
l#get_code
———————————————————————
Can Tea Help Prevent Food Poison?
Copyright (c) 2007 Jon M. Stout
Golden Moon Tea
http://www.GoldenMoonTea.com
There are dozens of variations of food poison, and none of them
are pleasant. One of them is Bacillus cereus. While not usually
life threatening, this common form of food poisoning can cause
diarrhea, nausea, cramps and vomiting. Symptoms usually appear
8-16 hours after exposure to the bacteria, and can disrupt your
life for a few days.
Bacillus cereus is usually caused by improper cooking. The
problem can be exacerbated by improper refrigeration, which just
allows the spores to further grow. Cooked rice that is improperly
refrigerated is one of the most common carriers of bacillus
cereus.
However, researchers are learning that there may be ways to
protect our bodies from the ravages of such bacteria. It appears
that tea’s catechins may protect our bodies from bacteria like
bacillus cereus. Tea has far more anti-microbial properties than
previously realized.
One particular study reported by the UK Tea Council evaluated the
anti-microbial activity of seven green tea catechins and four
black tea theaflavins, both important anti-oxidants. They also
evaluated actual infusions of 36 commercial black, white, green
and oolong teas, as well as herbal teas. These anti-oxidants and
infusions were evaluated to determine their anti-microbial
activity against bacillus cereus. This study concluded that all
eleven of the anti-oxidants evaluated contained anti-microbial
properties.*
In fact, most of the compounds were more active than medicinal
antibiotics such as tetracycline or vancomycin at comparable
concentrations. The study also concluded that the brewed
infusions of true tea that contained these catechins and
theaflavins also had anti-microbial properties as well,
particularly freshly brewed infusions. However, herbal brews did
not have anti-microbial properties.
So, just what does this mean to our real life? Well, it means
that drinking tea can protect your body against certain harmful
bacteria like bacillus cereus. If we consume tea on a regular
basis, we may be able to ward off these harmful bacteria before
they wreak havoc on our bodies. The presence of the anti-oxidants
in tea may be enough to keep us from getting sick from these
bacteria, or at least be sufficient to lessen their effects.
This is likely just the tip of the iceberg. We already know that
green tea prevents many serious illnesses, such as heart disease,
Alzheimer’s disease and some forms of cancer. And, if we’ve
determined that it can kill bacteria such as bacillus cereus,
then there’s certainly potential that it can act as an
anti-biotic against other harmful bacteria, as well.
Certainly it has been determined from this along with many other
studies that tea is an important part of living a healthy life.
In Japan, the medical community recognizes green tea as a known
cancer preventative, and it’s likely that medical communities in
other countries will soon follow suit. This information, combined
with the other studies that have shown green tea to be effective
in preventing heart disease should be enough to convince us that
drinking a few cups of green tea each day is a simple way to
protect our health.
But, why is does it seem that so many of the positive findings
are associated with green tea, and not black tea too? Well, it
stems from the way the tea is processed. While the study noted
here on the anti-microbial activity of tea didn’t find a
difference between the two, in most health studies green tea
beats black tea every time.
Black tea is fermented during processing; green and white teas
are not. The fermentation process changes the anti-oxidants in
the tea from their natural, original state, into a slightly
different compound. While black tea is still healthy, and still
contains important anti-oxidants, the more natural anti-oxidants
in green and white tea are far more powerful.
The research done so far has mostly been performed on green tea
because it is much more widely consumed. However, it is likely
that researchers would find that white tea is just as healthful,
since its anti-oxidants are preserved in their natural state,
just like those in green tea.
Green tea first gained notice as a health preserver because of
the much lower incidence of heart disease and cancer in Asian
countries, where green tea is a staple. Scientists decided to
back up this anecdotal evidence with research and the findings
have been astonishing.
In addition to evidence suggesting that green tea protects our
health, there has also been evidence to suggest that green tea
may even be effective as an alternative cancer treatment. Some
studies have shown that green tea slows the growth of certain
cancers. Other studies have shown that administering green tea
along with chemotherapy makes the chemotherapy more effective
than when it is administered alone.
So, it appears that green tea may be one of the most promising
natural health products we can consume. As time goes on, and more
studies are conducted on human subjects, we’ll learn more
definitive information about this wonder beverage. It’s amazing
to think that something many of us have been drinking all our
lives just for the taste could hold so much power to protect our
health.
———————————————————————
Jon M. Stout is the Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company.
Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest rare and orthodox
teas, which are processed slowly and handcrafted with extreme
care. At their website, you can learn more about their current
tea offerings, including their exceptional green tea
(http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea), white tea, black
tea, oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea -
http://www.goldenmoontea.com/wu-long) and chai. Visit
http://www.goldenmoontea.com for all details concerning
the Golden Moon Tea Company’s fine line of teas.
—