Green Tea Wards Off Functional Decline

Green tea contains polyphenols, for which previous studies have suggested a wide range of health benefits, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and oral health. Yasutake Tomata, from Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine (Japan), colleagues analyzed data from 13,988 men and women, ages 65 and older. You used a questionnaire to assess green tea intake and other dietary and lifestyle factors. After following the subjects for three years, the team noted that drinking one or 2 cups of green tea a day associated with a 10% reduction in the risk of functional disability, as compared to people who drink less than one cup a day. As well, the subjects who drank at least 5 cups of green tea a day reduced their functional disability risk by 33%. The study authors conclude that: “Green tea consumption is significantly associated with a lower risk of incident functional disability.”