65-year-old Uncle Zeng is an old tea friend who loves tea like his life, and the first thing he does when he gets up every morning is to make a pot of tea.
One morning, as soon as Uncle Zeng drank a sip of hot tea, he felt a little dry in his throat, and a little foreign body when he swallowed it. Seeing this, the eldest nephew hurriedly persuaded: "Uncle, you may have laryngitis, you have to go to the hospital to take a look." ”
Uncle Zeng waved his hand and said, "It's not a big deal, my body is strong, just drink more water." ”
But after a few days, Uncle Zeng's sore throat became even worse, and he couldn't even eat, so he had to go to the hospital. Unexpectedly, the results of the examination gave him a bolt from the blue - he was diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the middle of the esophagus.
After the doctor learned about Uncle Zeng's tea drinking habits, he sighed: "Uncle, for your health, hold back your mouth and stop drinking hot tea." ”
1. Peking University research: Drinking more than 4 grams of tea a day will increase the risk of cancer, is it true?
A team of researchers from Peking University published a study in the European Journal of Epidemiology on tea drinking habits and cancer risk. Through an in-depth analysis of the tea-drinking behavior and cancer incidence of 500,000 Chinese people, they found that:
People who drank more than 4 grams of tea per day had a 26% increase in overall cancer risk, including a 62% surge in lung cancer risk and even stomach cancer, compared to those who drank little or no tea per week. This finding seems to be contrary to the well-known belief that "tea can be healthy".
In order to obtain more precise conclusions, the researchers carefully controlled a number of variables. After excluding interfering factors, the results of the study showed that there was no direct link between tea intake and the occurrence of various types of cancer, that is, this link was not directly caused by tea drinking.
In addition, the study has shown another important phenomenon: among tea drinkers, the risk of cancer increases as the amount of smoking or alcohol consumes increases.
Therefore, researchers believe that the increased risk of cancer is more related to certain undesirable tea drinking behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, or drinking hot and strong tea.
Tea is not the culprit of cancer, and the majority of tea lovers can still enjoy the fun of tea with confidence.
2. There are many benefits of drinking tea, and there may be 4 surprise changes in the body
After talking about the fact that drinking tea in moderation will not cause cancer, let's talk about what tea lovers love to hear: what are the benefits of drinking tea?
First of all, drinking tea is good for cardiovascular health.
A study published by Gu Dongfeng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology showed that compared with the group without tea drinking, the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases decreased by about 20%, the mortality rate decreased by about 22%, and the total mortality risk decreased by about 15%.
Secondly, for middle-aged and elderly people, drinking tea in moderation can make the brain younger. Tea polyphenols act as a natural antioxidant that scavenges free radicals and reduces cell damage, thereby slowing down the aging process of the brain.
In addition, tea is rich in catechins, which can prevent the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting the aggregation of β-amyloid. β-Amyloid is one of the main pathological markers of Alzheimer's disease, and its excessive accumulation can lead to neuronal death and cognitive dysfunction.
There is another unknown benefit of drinking tea: stress relief. L-theanine is a natural central nervous system depressant that balances neurotransmitters and relieves anxiety. Reducing emotional stress is beneficial for maintaining good mental health and indirectly promotes brain health.
3. Tea is not available to everyone, and the three types of people should drink as little as possible
However, it should be noted that although tea drinking is good, it is not suitable for everyone. The following 3 types of special groups of people are better to drink less.
· pregnant woman
Tea contains caffeine, theophylline and other substances, which have the effect of stimulating the central nervous system, and pregnant women may cause insomnia, palpitations and other problems if they consume too much. In addition, caffeine may affect the growth and development of the fetus and even increase the risk of miscarriage.
· Patients with hepatic hypoplasia
People with poor liver function are difficult to excrete caffeine and tea polyphenols and other substances in tea in time, which will increase the burden on the liver and damage liver cells in a long time, and even induce or aggravate the probability of liver cirrhosis, liver ascites and other diseases in severe cases.
· People with neurasthenia
Patients with neurasthenia are often accompanied by symptoms such as anxiety and irritability, and the caffeine in tea can stimulate the central nervous system and exacerbate the state of emotional instability, which is not only not conducive to recovery, but also causes trouble in daily life.
For the sake of health, these 3 types of people can occasionally drink a few cups, but they should not be greedy.
Fourth, it only takes 4 steps to master the correct way to drink tea
Drinking tea should also pay attention to the way, learn to drink tea correctly, in order to taste health in the fragrance of tea, today I will share with you 4 tips for drinking tea.
1. Tea drinking: moderate is healthier
Excessive tea consumption will lead to increased excitability of the central nervous system, causing insomnia, palpitations and other uncomfortable symptoms. Drinking tea in moderation can help relieve fatigue and improve sleep quality.
2. Tea drinking temperature: warm is preferred
Drinking hot tea can burn the mucous membrane of the mouth and esophagus, which is so easy to induce cancer in the long term. Warm tea is less irritating to the body and is conducive to retaining the nutrients of the tea.
3. Tea drinking time: It should not be drunk before and after meals
Drinking tea on an empty stomach before meals or immediately after meals will affect digestion and absorption, which can easily lead to malnutrition and other problems in the long term. It is generally recommended to start drinking about 1 hour before meals and stop at mealtime, and it is not advisable to drink tea immediately after meals, and wait at least half an hour or more.
4. Tea choice: do not drink strong tea
Strong tea contains caffeine, theophylline and other ingredients, which can increase the excitability of the central nervous system, causing the brain to be overexcited, which in turn can cause insomnia.
Strong tea also slows down the contraction of the stomach and the peristalsis of the intestines, affecting the digestion and absorption of food, leading to dry stools and constipation.
Resources:
[1] "Is drinking tea healthy or carcinogenic?Reminder: Don't drink these 3 kinds of tea".Health Circle.2024-03-23
[2] "Tea Drunk for Thousands of Years, Is It Cancer Prevention or Carcinogenic?", Mays Medicine.2021-03-12
[3] "Smoking, drinking and drinking tea, people who account for all three must take a look!", Health Times.2021-12-15
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