Wine Article

There are dozens of variations of food poison
and none of them are pleasant. One of them is Bacillus cereus. While not usually life threatening
this common form of food poisoning can cause diarrhea
nausea
cramps and vomiting. Symptoms usually appear 8-16 hours after exposure to the bacteria
and can disrupt your life for a few days.

Bacillus cereus is usually caused by improper cooking. The problem can be exacerbated by improper refrigeration
which just allows the spores to further grow. Cooked rice that is improperly refrigerated is one of the most common carriers of bacillus cereus.

However
researchers are learning that there may be ways to protect our bodies from the ravages of such bacteria. It appears that tea’s catechins may protect our bodies from bacteria like bacillus cereus. Tea has far more anti-microbial properties than previously realized.

One particular study reported by the UK Tea Council evaluated the anti-microbial activity of seven green tea catechins and four black tea theaflavins
both important anti-oxidants. They also evaluated actual infusions of 36 commercial black
white
green and oolong teas
as well as herbal teas.

These anti-oxidants and infusions were evaluated to determine their anti-microbial activity against bacillus cereus. This study concluded that all eleven of the anti-oxidants evaluated contained anti-microbial properties.*

In fact
most of the compounds were more active than medicinal antibiotics such as tetracycline or vancomycin at comparable concentrations. The study also concluded that the brewed infusions of true tea that contained these catechins and theaflavins also had anti-microbial properties as well
particularly freshly brewed infusions. However
herbal brews did not have anti-microbial properties.

So
just what does this mean to our real life? Well
it means that drinking tea can protect your body against certain harmful bacteria like bacillus cereus. If we consume tea on a regular basis
we may be able to ward off these harmful bacteria before they wreak havoc on our bodies.

The presence of the anti-oxidants in tea may be enough to keep us from getting sick from these bacteria
or at least be sufficient to lessen their effects.

This is likely just the tip of the iceberg. We already know that green tea prevents many serious illnesses
such as heart disease
Alzheimer’s disease and some forms of cancer.

And
if we’ve determined that it can kill bacteria such as bacillus cereus
then there’s certainly potential that it can act as an anti-biotic against other harmful bacteria
as well.

Certainly it has been determined from this along with many other studies that tea is an important part of living a healthy life. In Japan
the medical community recognizes green tea as a known cancer preventative
and it’s likely that medical communities in other countries will soon follow suit.

This information
combined with the other studies that have shown green tea to be effective in preventing heart disease should be enough to convince us that drinking a few cups of green tea each day is a simple way to protect our health.

But
why is does it seem that so many of the positive findings are associated with green tea
and not black tea too? Well
it stems from the way the tea is processed. While the study noted here on the anti-microbial activity of tea didn’t find a difference between the two
in most health studies green tea beats black tea every time.

Black tea is fermented during processing; green and white teas are not. The fermentation process changes the anti-oxidants in the tea from their natural
original state
into a slightly different compound.

While black tea is still healthy
and still contains important anti-oxidants
the more natural anti-oxidants in green and white tea are far more powerful.

The research done so far has mostly been performed on green tea because it is much more widely consumed. However
it is likely that researchers would find that white tea is just as healthful
since its anti-oxidants are preserved in their natural state
just like those in green tea.

Green tea first gained notice as a health preserver because of the much lower incidence of heart disease and cancer in Asian countries
where green tea is a staple. Scientists decided to back up this anecdotal evidence with research and the findings have been astonishing.

In addition to evidence suggesting that green tea protects our health
there has also been evidence to suggest that green tea may even be effective as an alternative cancer treatment. Some studies have shown that green tea slows the growth of certain cancers.

Other studies have shown that administering green tea along with chemotherapy makes the chemotherapy more effective than when it is administered alone.

So
it appears that green tea may be one of the most promising natural health products we can consume. As time goes on
and more studies are conducted on human subjects
we’ll learn more definitive information about this wonder beverage.

It’s amazing to think that something many of us have been drinking all our lives just for the taste could hold so much power to protect our health.