Coffee Consumption May Help Alzheimer's Patients

From a previous DHB alert you've heard about research linking caffeine and Alzheimer's patients, now another study offers very promising results - moderate caffeine intake reverses memory loss in mice bred to develop Alzheimer's.

The caffeine also reduced the level of beta-amyloid protein (a hallmark protein found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's) in both the blood and brains of the mice. The study is set to appear in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and brings high hopes of trials that could begin on humans very soon.

Alzheimer's, for those fortunate enough not to know about this life altering condition, is an irreversible and progressive disease that destroys thinking and memory.

In the end, patients don't have the ability to do even the simplest everyday things, cooking, dressing, driving a car, making decisions, running errands.

This isn't the normal forgetfulness of aging... rather the limitations are such that they interfere with your daily life. In the majority of cases Alzheimer's symptoms show up after age 60. Recent estimates have as many as 2.4 to 4.5 million Americans living with this awful disease.

This highly promising work builds on earlier studies by the team of researchers at the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center that found caffeine intake in early adulthood prevented the onset of memory problems in mice bred to develop Alzheimer's disease.

The team became interested in caffeine's potential for treating Alzheimer's after some Portuguese researchers reported that those with Alzheimer's had consumed less caffeine in the last 20 years than those without the disease.

There have been several uncontrolled trials that reported moderate caffeine intake might protect against normal memory decline due to aging, though this latest work is more highly controlled, allowing experts to isolate the effects of caffeine on memory.

"The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable 'treatment' for established Alzheimer's disease, and not simply a protective strategy," researcher Gary Arendash, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of South Florida, says in a news release.

"That's important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people, it easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process."

In the work, 55 mice bred to have Alzheimer's symptoms were divided into two groups; one was given 500 mg (equal to 5 eight-ounce cups of regular coffee, 14 cups of tea or 20 sodas) of caffeine in their daily water supply after they started to exhibit memory problems. The other group of mice got plain, de-caffeinated water.

After 2 months the caffeine-drinking mice did much better on tests of their memory and thinking skills. The skills were the equal of normal mice without dementia who were the same age.

The mice who drank water without the added caffeine, the control group, kept doing poorly on the tests of thinking and memory.

The brains of the caffeine-drinking mice also saw the level of beta-amyloid, the protein that forms the sticky clumps of plaques found in Alzheimer's patients brains, cut almost in half.

Taking things one step further, the team also studied long-term caffeine intake in normal mice, but after 10 months of treatment with caffeine, there wasn't an improvement in their memory or thinking skills.

The investigators suspect that the caffeine might help to restore memory by reducing the enzymes that are needed to create beta-amyloid. Caffeine might also help to reduce inflammatory changes in the brain that might also lead to an over-abundance of the protein.

Researchers cannot tell us what begins the Alzheimer's process, though experts know that the damage begins 10-20 years before any symptoms appear on the outside.

If you've noticed changes in you, or someone you love, know that early diagnosis gives you the heads up - helping you preserve as much cognitive ability as possible.

While you can't repair the deterioration process that's happened silently over the years, you can learn more about treatments (or clinical trials) that can give you a chance to hold on to your brain function for months or even years.

Early diagnosis for Alzheimers patients also gives you the time to plan... to make your own choices about where you'll live, as well as make financial and legal decisions you want to have control over before a condition like Alzheimer's makes this impossible.

Next just head on over to the Daily Health Bulletin for more information on how coffee consumption effects your health, plus get 5 free fantastic health reports.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kirsten_Whittaker

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Choosing a Coffee Table

The humble coffee table is one of the last things we usually think of when decorating a house, but it provides an important social function as well as being a big part of the decoration of the living room. For those reasons alone you spend a little bit of time trying to find the perfect coffee table for your house.

The first thing you think about when buying any kind of table is your budget. This is because not only will it narrow down your options, but it goes a long way to deciding on what kind of material you can afford. For example if you're thinking of buying a cheap wood coffee table then your budget wont have to be as much as if you are buying a solid oak table which costs a lot more.

You should also think about the function you want your coffee table to provide. For example, do you want it to just be a decoration, or do you want it to provide another function as well such as storage space? These are all questions that you need to answer before you even start looking for a coffee table.

When you actually go to start looking, I always find it helpful to look around on the Internet first just to get an idea of the prices on the market at the time as well is what you can expect to pay for different kinds of material. A little bit of extra research can save you a lot of money in the long run.

You can find out more information about buying a new oak coffee table as well as the traditional square coffee table by using the links provided.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rachel_Head

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Green Tea Weight Loss - The Healthy Drink

Green tea weight loss drinks are becoming more popular by the week, as more people realize the health benefits of drinking it. Tea is the most widely consumed beverage on earth and has an over 4000-year history as a health promoting drink - and now the green tea weight loss benefits are boosting its consumption even more.

The tea plant, technically known as Camellia Sinensis, produces green, black and oolong tea. The difference in the type is a result of the different ways in which the tea leaves are processed after harvesting.

The majority of the tea currently available in Jamaica and the world is black tea. Although all these three varieties have health benefits, green tea is far more superior to the others in this regard. Medical research has confirmed what the Chinese have been saying for centuries: that green tea contains special health preserving and revitalizing power.

Antioxidants - Green tea contains a group of compounds called polyphenols. They are powerful antioxidants which are responsible for the therapeutic properties of green-tea. One of these substances, called EGCG for short, is 200 times more powerful as an antioxidants than vitamin E. Green tea contains much more antioxidant than black tea.

Caffeine - a stimulant which is present in the green variety in much smaller amounts than in black tea or coffee. In small amounts, it can be an excellent energy enhancer, but it is best to limit one's intake as excess caffeine consumption may be unhealthy.

Others - this tea contains over 500 aromatic oils as well as small amounts of several vitamins and minerals.

Health benefits

Cardiovascular disease - the tea lowers the 'bad' cholesterol while increasing the good cholesterol. It reduces blood pressure, reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and acts as a blood thinner.

Cancer - in laboratory experiments, green tea extract prevents cancer of the lung, the liver, prostate and the skin, esophagus and colon Human studies suggest that drinking two or more cups of this tea a day reduces the overall risk of cancer by 10 per cent

Longevity - Studies conducted on Japanese women showed that greater than average drinkers had a lower mortality rate than other women. Researchers believe this to be due a stimulating effect of tea on the immune system.

Oral health - Researchers show that drinking green tea protects the teeth and gums from disease. The polyphenols in tea inhibits the growth of cavity forming bacteria. So, you might like to consider making it your favorite drink. I personally recommend a convenient instant herbal concentrate which can be used hot or cold and also contains additional health promoting herbs. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Green tea has many health benefits, but with the newly claimed weight loss benefits it's easy to see why it's gaining in popularity. To discover more about the green tea weight loss benefits check out my weight loss tips blog today and claim your free report.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Spencer

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Wu Long Tea Qing Cha - The Blue Green Wonder Tea

Wulong tea is grown in the province of Jujian in China, and in Taiwan, and it is largely the most popular tea being served in China. It is said to have properties that no other tea can match.

Wu-Long means "black dragon," and the legend tells us that a farmer who was looking for new flavors in his garden, was lost in thought when he saw spring out of a tea bush an enormous black snake of dragon. He was convinced that this was a sign from higher up. Quickly he grabbed a few leaves from the bush to taste them. This was the first Wu-long tea.

In fact Wu-long tea, sometimes spelled wulong or Oolong is the same as any other tea. Black tea, green tea, white tea, all come from the same bush. The differences in flavors are due to several reasons, first the land and geography as well as climate of where the tea is grown. Secondly the fermentation process that tea is subjected to during drying. Wulong tea is not permitted to ferment totally, but it is more fermented that green tea, that has no fermentation whatsoever.

It is brewed from entire leaves that were never broken, has a subtle taste with a nutty flavor, a hint of honey and hazelnut. Of course when we say that it has a nutty taste, it does not imply that it was brewed with nuts. It means that the natural flavor of the tea can remind us of chestnuts.

Besides its wonderful soft, flavor with a hint of chestnut, Oolong tea as do other green teas has some very definite health advantages. One of the most noted health benefit was made popular by Oprah Winfrey as it is a weight loss wonder.

Besides weight loss and weight control it has proven to be an asset in fighting disease like cancer, Parkinson, diabetes, heart related diseases, and much more. It is not a magic pill, but it can help.

People who have used Wu-long tea for weight loss have discovered, it's taste and the other benefits of green tea, and have continued using tea for medicinal reasons as well as for pleasure.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Winnifred_Berry

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Tea

Tea is soothing, a quality to be craved in these stressful days. It is more subtle than coffee and meant to be sipped, not gulped. A cup of tea has less caffeine than a cup of coffee — half the amount or less.

From a single evergreen plant, camillia sinensis, come the thousands of nonherbal teas consumed around the world. The variety depends on where the tea is grown and how it is gathered and processed. Some variables that determine the type of tea are whether the tea is made from long leaves or short leaves, early buds or later pickings; whether the leaves are whole, broken or rolled and, most important, whether they are allowed to oxidize.

The finest teas are consistent-looking and fresh. Because tea readily picks up foreign aromas and fades in contact with light, teas should be sold and stored in containers that are airtight and opaque. Shops that keep their teas in glass canisters are as bad as those that display coffee in open burlap bags. In the proper container tea can last up to six months. But it should never be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

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Black teas are dark, tannic teas made by allowing the fresh green leaves to wither and darken through oxidation (the term used in the tea business is fermentation). The process takes about a day, after which the leaves are dried by warm air. Black teas include winy Keemun and smoky Lapsang Souchong from China, Ceylon teas from Sri Lanka and India, Assam and Darjeeling, the exquisitely delicate tea grown in the Himalayan foothills. Traditional blends like English breakfast are made of black teas.

All Japanese and many Chinese teas are green teas, prized for aroma and finesse. They are processed by lightly drying the leaves. Some green teas are whole-leaf while others, including Chinese gunpowder, are made from leaves rolled into little balls, hence the name. Japanese matcha is powdered green tea. Green teas should be sipped plain, without the addition of sweeteners, lemon or milk. One exception is Moroccan mint tea, made by pouring sweetened green tea over lightly crushed fresh mint leaves.

Oolong teas are elegant whole-leaf Chinese teas partly withered and oxidized, something of a cross between green and black tea. Most that are exported are called Formosa, from Taiwan.

The best flavored teas are made with natural ingredients and essences, not harsh artificial flavors. For centuries tea has been infused with jasmine or rose petals for flavoring, and sometimes sold with the dried buds still in the tea. Earl Grey is flavored with oil of bergamot, a type of Chinese orange.

Verbena, chamomile, lemon grass, peppermint and linden are some of the more popular herbal teas, or infusions. Herbal teas are often believed to have curative properties.

Making a good cup of tea is simple. First, heat the teapot by filling it with water that has just come to a boil. Discard this water, and place 1 teaspoon of loose tea per cup in the teapot (the amount may vary according to taste). Pour in fresh water that has just come to a boil, 6 ounces for each cup. Allow the tea to steep for 3 to 5 minutes; then, pour it through a strainer into a cup or mug. Some types of green tea should be made with water that has cooled down a bit. Using a tea bag eliminates the strainer, but it is still best to make the tea in a teapot so the water stays sufficiently hot.

When tea is made, the leaves release their caffeine first, so the amount of caffeine can be reduced by pouring off all the tea after 30 seconds, then adding fresh boiling water to the leaves or the tea bag. Christopher Smith for The New York Times

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