BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA ~ FAQs

Q: What exactly is Green Tea? Is it a different tea than the tea we usually drink?

A: Green tea is processed in the way that the antioxidants called catechins, such as EGCG, are preserved in their original forms. The tea we usually drink is black tea, which underwent complete oxidation, eliminating most of the antioxidant potential of these catechins to maximize flavor and taste. Both green tea and black tea are made from the leaves of same tea plants but black tea was stripped of most health benefits in its processing.

Q: We hear so much about the antioxidants in Green Tea. Exactly what are “antioxidants” and why do researchers claim they can improve our health?

A: Antioxidants are molecules that can react with and therefore eliminate free radicals. Our body produces free radicals. We also receive free radicals from many outside sources (our environment, medication, food, etc.). If these free radicals accumulate, they can do a lot of harm by causing cells to become unhealthy

Q: I’ve heard of things called “free radicals.” Exactly what are these and how can Green Tea protect my healthy cells from them?

A: Free radicals are very unstable and active molecules that react with the building blocks of our body by removing electrons. If our normal molecule loses the electron, it may cause damage. For example, free radicals react with DNA and cause DNA damage, leading to mutation, if not repaired. Green tea, rich in antioxidants, helps to protect DNA or cells against these harmful free radicals by eliminating them.

Q: Does Green Tea have less caffeine than regular tea or coffee?

A: Green tea has much less caffeine than coffee, and usually has less caffeine than black tea. Generally speaking, regular green tea contains 2-4% caffeine. Green tea’s caffeine gives a calm alertness but not the jitters of the caffeine in regular coffee.

Q: Can drinking Green Tea or using products that have Green Tea extract in them really help suppress the appetite? How?

A: Scientists at University of Chicago showed that EGCG might interact specifically with a component of a leptin-independent appetite control pathway to reduce the appetite. Human studies are needed to confirm this. It is very important to eat right and exercise in order to lose weight.

Q: Is Green Tea beneficial when trying to lose extra body fat? If so, how does it work?

A: Human studies suggest that green tea consumption reduced body weight, body fat and helped burn calories. A healthy diet and regular exercise are important, just as burning fat and calories is always a key tool to losing weight or even maintaining your ideal weight. You should envision adapting a healthy life style with green tea as an important component and integral part of your daily regimen.

For more information on the benefits of Green Tea, go to: http://www.drhsugreentea.com/

DAILY FOOT CARE CANADIAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION

FOOT CARE

For Hard, Dry, Cracked Feet Summer is a time when we take advantage of our warm climate and the abundance of beaches, parks and other outdoor activities, often wearing skimpy sandals or just going barefoot. Just as sun and wind dries out the rest of your body, so it can dry your feet causing ugly and often painful cracks. You need never suffer from hard, rough, dry and cracked skin on the feet by using Flexitol Heel Balm as a preventative and treatment.

What Causes Dryness? Although it is common to suffer from dry, cracked feet during winter, it is in summer that the problem becomes prevalent among a large percentage of the population. In summer, people tend to either wear open shoes, or go barefoot. This exposes the feet to the sun; wind and water, which exacerbates dryness and cracks, begin to form. Rough, dry and cracked feet cannot only be unsightly, but also extremely painful and lead to other more serious problems. By applying a good quality moisturizer, you can keep your feet smooth and supple and avoid painful cracks and dryness.

Caring for your feet year round will ensure that they are supple and soft for summer.

FOOT CARE FACTS

(from www.foot.com )

• The foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.
• 1/4 of all bones in the human body are down in your feet. When these bones are out of alignment, so is the rest of the body.
• Only a small percentage of the population is born with foot problems. Neglect and a lack of awareness of proper care - including ill fitting shoes - bring on most problems.
• Women have about four times as many foot problems as men. High heels are partly to blame.
• Walking is the best exercise for your feet. It also contributes to your general health by improving circulation, contributing to weight control, and promoting all-around well being.
• Your feet mirror your general health. Conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet - so foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems.
• About 60 to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which in severe forms can lead to lower limb amputations. Approximately 56,000 people a year lose their foot or leg to diabetes.
• There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. Sweat glands in the feet excrete as much as a half-pint of moisture a day.
• The two feet may be different sizes. Buy shoes for the larger one.
• The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which adds up to about 115,000 miles over a lifetime. That's enough to go around the circumference of the earth four times.
• There are currently more websites on the Internet having to do with foot fetishes than with foot health.

GREEN TEA HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED TO*:

• Reduce incidence of cancer
• Reduce oxidation by active oxygen
• Lower blood cholesterol
• Inhibit increase of blood pressure
• Inhibit increase of blood sugar
• Kill bacteria
• Fight cariogenic bacteria
• Prevent halitosis
• Stimulate wakefulness
• Act as diuretic
• Reduce stress
• Prevent flu
• Lower blood pressure
• Strengthen blood vessel walls
• Prevent halitosis
• Lower blood sugar
• Act as antioxidant and regulates aging

*Written by Dr.Itaro OGUNI Professor of Food Science, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences University of Shizuoka,Hamamatsu College

GREEN TEA LINKED TO SKIN CELL REJUVENATION

Research into the health-promoting properties of green tea is yielding information that may lead to new treatments for skin diseases and wounds.

Dr. Stephen Hsu, a cell biologist in the Medical College of Georgia Department of Oral Biology, has uncovered a wealth of information about green tea in the last few years. Most importantly, he helped determine that compounds in green tea called polyphenols help eliminate free radicals, which can cause cancer by altering DNA. He also found that polyphenols safeguard healthy cells while ushering cancer cells to their death.

He recently began studying the most abundant green tea polyphenol – EGCG. Using pooled human keratinocytes (skin cells), he and his colleagues studied the normal growth of the skin cells and compared it to the growth of the cells when exposed to EGCG.

To their astonishment, they found that EGCG reactivated dying skin cells. "Cells that migrate toward the surface of the skin normally live about 28 days, and by day 20, they basically sit on the upper layer of the skin getting ready to die," Dr. Hsu said. "But EGCG reactivates them. I was so surprised."

The skin consists of three layers: the epidermis (outer layer), dermis (mid-layer) and hypodermis (inner layer). Dr. Hsu learned that green tea polyphenols aren't absorbed beyond the epidermis, so any benefits are limited to that outer layer of skin. But the benefits, he stressed, seem significant.

Cells in the epidermis, or keratinocytes, are in a constant state of renewal. The newly formed cells, stem cells, are undifferentiated but rapidly dividing. As they push through the epidermis, they begin differentiating. During this migration and differentiation process, the cells are very active, expending and consuming vast amounts of energy.

Once they reach the surface of the skin, their metabolic activity slows dramatically and they prepare to die, while forming a water-proof, sheet-like structure. As they die off about a month into their life cycle, they are replaced by another wave of migrating cells supplied by stem cells, starting the process all over again.

But EGCG seems to be a fountain of youth for skin cells. "When exposed to EGCG, the old cells found in the upper layers of the epidermis appear to start dividing again," Dr. Hsu said. "They make DNA and produce more energy. They are reactivated. There are lots of unknowns-this is the first step into the door-but if we can energize dying skin cells, we can probably improve the skin condition." In addition, the researchers found that EGCG accelerates the differentiation process among new cells.

Combining these effects of EGCG on skin cells in different layers of the epidermis, Dr. Hsu noted potential benefits for skin conditions as diverse as aphthous ulcers, psoriasis, rosascea, wrinkles and wounds. "If skin cells surrounding wounds or infections don't heal in time, fibroblasts in the connective tissue may rush in to fill the void and cause scar tissue formation," he said. "If we can spur the skin cells to differentiate and proliferate, we can potentially accelerate the wound-healing process and prevent scarring."

This potential benefit is particularly exciting for conditions such as diabetes, which stubbornly inhibits the wound-healing process, Dr. Hsu said.

Public release date: 24-Apr-2003
Contact: Christine Hurley Deriso
cderiso@mail.mcg.edu
706-721-2124
Medical College of Georgia

HYPERHIDROSIS

Excessive Perspiration Facts
Perspiration is completely natural and many people perspire more than they realize. Hyperhidrosis is defined as excessive perspiration beyond what would be expected given the local environment and what is physiologically required by the body.

Primary hyperhidrosis is excessive perspiration when there is no alternative origin. It is typically localized to both under arms, palms soles of feet or even face and other areas. It is also characteristic that the perspiration abates during sleep. It is meant to result from hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. Secondary hyperhidrosis can result from many different conditions for example fever, puberty and menopause.

The first scientific study of the prevalence of hyperhidrosis was conducted in the USA in 2004, and the latest statistics show that fully one million Canadians now suffer from Hyperhidrosis, of whom only one in three has consulted a physician. (Sweat Management Website).

For more information on hyperhidrosis, visit www.perspirex.com

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

If you have any swelling, warmth, redness or pain in your legs or feet, see your doctor right away.

If you have any corns (thick or hard skin on toes), calluses (thick skin on bottom of feet), in-grown toenails, warts or slivers, have them treated by your doctor or a foot care specialist (such as a podiatrist, chiropodist or experienced foot care nurse). Do not try to treat them yourself.

Have your bare feet checked by your doctor at least once a year. In addition, ask your doctor to screen you for neuropathy and loss of circulation at least once a year.

Take your socks off at every diabetes-related visit to your doctor and ask him or her to inspect your feet.