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Put down that bottle of hand sanitizer and pick up a handful of green tea leaves. A
2009 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that green
tea was effective at reducing risk of pneumonia Ȃone of the leading killers of
children and elderly around the world.1
In this study, Japanese researchers recorded diet, lifestyle, and causes of death for
about 20,000 men and 20,000 women over a 12-year period. After controlling for
factors that may have interfered with results such as age and body weight,
researchers found that green tea was protective against pneumonia death in
women, but not men. In fact, a single serving of green tea per day cut the risk of
contracting pneumonia by 41%.
Green tea has been shown to limit the activity of nasty viruses
like colds and the flu. According to a study done by the Japanese National Institute of
Health, green tea can make viruses weak and unable to hijack healthy cells.2
!
Green tea inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria like salmonella, E.
Coli and even H. Pylori Ȃthe bacteria implicated as the cause of most stomach ulcers.
3
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The most active and beneficial compound in green tea, catechins,
has been shown to stimulate the immune system. Because catechins significantly
reduce inflammation and oxidation, scientists think that green tea increases the
effectiveness and activity of the immune system.
References:
1. Ikue ãatanabe. Green tea and death from pneumonia in Japan: the Ohsaki cohort
study. Am J Clin Nutr 90: 672-679, 2009
3. Yee YK, Koo Mã , Szeto M : Chinese tea consumption and lower risk of
Helicobacter infection. J Gastroenterol Hepatol17 :552 Ȃ555,2002
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