Anti-Aging Effects of Green Tea

Because green tea activates the longevity genes it falls in the category of things you can do to slow down the aging process. Now that’s an amazing phenomenon.

Are you surprised to learn that you actually have longevity genes? I was really surprised. Researchers discovered that animals live longer if they are kept very slim by feeding them nutrient dense food in low amounts. Some days they are not fed at all.

When animals go into the state of starvation or some other severe stress their chemistry switches on the longevity genes called sirtuins to prevent death. Activating these genes increases the life span of the animals.

Low caloric intake does the same thing for other animals and plants that were tested and even works in humans. Eat less, fast 1-2 days per week, stay very slim and humans live longer too according to researchers in this field.

But most of us do not have the discipline to fast (and it may be dangerous for some folks) or to even eat nutrient dense food with lesser caloric intake. Let’s face it starvation is no fun!

So drinking green tea seems like a much better alternative to activating the sirtuins which send signals to every cell in the body telling them to slow down the aging process.

That amazing antioxidant in green tea known as ECGC helps activate the longevity genes.

But don’t think for a minute that you can drink green tea and eat all the junk (death) food that you want. No, it doesn’t work that way! We have to eat healthy whole, fresh, nutrient dense food to stay healthy. Then also consuming green tea augments the health of our bodies.

So if we’re going to live longer by activating our longevity genes, wouldn’t it be great to keep our minds healthy too so we can keep enjoying life.

Guess what, green tea helps keep the mind sharp too!

Green Tea Keeps Elders Mentally Sharp: Research Showing Multiple Ways

Just ask the Japanese, a culture well known for their love of green tea. At Japan’s Tohoku University researchers studied 1003 subjects over age 70. Those who drank more than 2 cups of green tea per day demonstrated 64% less decline in brain function as demonstrated on testing with the Mini-Mental State Examination.

A cup of tea in Japan is small, only 3.2 ounces.

Once again that amazing molecule ECGC takes the credit for protecting the brain in many different ways:

The hippocampus portion of the brain helps us perceive where we are in space and helps us with memory. ECGC protects these precious cells by neutralizing free radicals that would otherwise chew holes in their cell membranes and debilitate them. (Haque AM, J Nutr April 2006)

Keeps the cells from commiting suicide by down regulating the production of an enzyme called caspase 3 in the neurons. Increase caspase 3 programs the cells for death when they have been damaged by free radicals. . (Park HJ, Life Sci Jan 2006; Levites Y. J Biol Chem, 2002)

And as we learned in Green Tea Part 1, ECGC:

Helps prevent the formation of B-amyloid, a protein that accumulates in the brains of people who have Alzheimer’s Disease. (Basianetto S, Eur J Neurosci Jan 2006).

Also chelates and removes iron which has the potential to form destructive free radicals. (Reznichenko L, J Neurochem, March 2006).

If protecting the brain and switching on the longevity genes isn’t enough, in Green Tea Part 3 discover how green tea also protects us against the big 3 killer diseases, cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Blessings,

Dr. Jo