Green Tea Extract
Long Live Americans?
Not really. The
latest report just came out ranking the nations of the world
according to how long their citizens live. Where did the US come in?
Number 42!
Countries that surpass the U.S. include Japan and most of Europe.
“Something’s wrong here when one of the richest countries in the
world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to
keep up with other countries,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, head of
the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of
Washington.
What countries
have the longest life expectancy? Andorra, a tiny country in the
Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain, had the longest life
expectancy. It was followed by Japan, Maucau, San Marino and
Singapore.
Wonder why others
surpass the US by such a wide margin? Scientists do and have been
studying this for years. You probably remember when news of the
‘French Paradox’ hit. It showed that the French, as a whole, had
much lower rates of heart disease and a longer life expectancy as
compared to Americans: This despite the fact that their diet is
richer in saturated fats (butter and cheese) as compared to the
average American diet. Scientists eventually linked this phenomenon
to the fact that the French drink far more red wine with its heart
protective anti-oxidant components (proanthocyanidins), than do
Americans.
Several years
later as it became apparent that Asian countries were beginning to
outscore not only Americans, but most of the world in the longevity
contest. Scientists then turned their attentions toward these Asian
cultures. What they discovered has been dubbed the ‘Asian Paradox’.
It seems as though green tea, instead of red wine, is their
longevity secret. As with the French, the Asians have a much lower
incidence of heart disease and lung cancer, as compared to
Americans: This despite the fact that Asian people smoke more
heavily than Americans.
Why? Scientists
have linked the answer to their per capita DAILY consumption of
green tea: 1.2 liters! Green tea, as with red wine, is packed with
health protective anti-oxidants: Apparently some strong ones, known
as epigallocatechin-3-gallate or EGCG. Researchers have shown that
EGCG’s are linked to the prevention of oxidation of LDL (bad
cholesterol), a key component of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the
arteries). It has also shown to prevent the growth of certain
tumors!t.
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