Green Tea Consumption Lowers Stroke Risk by Nearly Thirty Percent

Stroke is a devastating medical event that debilitates more than 800,000 Americans each year and kills nearly 150,000. Along with cardiovascular disease, many people continue to think that vascular diseases are a normal part of the aging process and take the statistics and mortality figures in stride. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Arterial stiffness and the buildup of plaque in arteries around the heart, neck and brain are the result of excess refined carbohydrate and wheat consumption, lack of physical activity, stress and smoking. Fortunately there are a host of natural foods and nutrients that can help support a healthy lifestyle to help lower the risk of suffering a life changing, deadly stroke.

Green Tea Supplies a Powerful Dose of Antioxidant Catechins to Slash Stroke Risk

A group of researchers at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Japan have published the result of an important study in Stroke, the Journal of the American Heart Association that explains how drinking green tea on a regular basis is associated with a dramatically reduced risk of stroke. Lead study author, Dr. Yoshihiro Kokubo commented “The regular action of drinking green tea daily is a benefit in preventing stroke… if you cannot readily improve your lifestyle, try to prevent stroke by drinking green tea every day.”

To conduct their study, scientists’ monitored green tea intake for a total of 83,269 Japanese adults, aged 45 to 74 years, for an average of thirteen years to see whether it had any effect on vascular health. In the first large scale study of its kind performed to date, researchers reviewed medical records for all participants and adjusted for factors such as age, sex, diet, smoking status, and weight. They determined that making small but positive lifestyle changes such as adding green tea daily to your diet can lower the risk of stroke by as much as thirty percent.

Drink Two to Four Cups of Green Tea Daily to Maximize the Anti-Inflammatory Health Benefits

Detailing the results of their study, researchers found that drinking two to four cups of green tea each day lowered the risk for hemorrhagic stroke by 32 percent. The team also investigated the effect of drinking coffee and found the beverage can yield similar results to those found with green tea consumption. Many health-minded people avoid coffee due to the highly processed nature of the bean and increased levels of homocysteine, blood pressure and blood lipids.

Researchers concluded that green tea provides a healthy dose of catechins that are potent antioxidants and exert anti-inflammatory properties that help lower stroke risk. Coffee contains chlorogenic acid that helps modulate blood sugar levels to improve vascular health. Green coffee bean extract supplements supply chlorogenic acid without the side effects experienced with coffee consumption. Lower your stroke risk by drinking up to four cups of fresh brewed, organic green tea every day.

Avocado Helps in the Fight against Free-Radical Aging and Cancer Proliferation

Oxygen has been a critical component in the evolution of life on earth, and humans are no exception as the gas has enabled nutrients to be used more efficiently, in turn allowing for the essential generation of energy required for development and growth. While oxygen is a crucial part of life, it is also implicated in the generation of free radicals that promote abnormal cellular destruction, cancer proliferation and advanced aging in humans.

Many environmental factors such as pollution, cigarette smoke and radiation turn the oxygen molecules found in mitochondria into free radicals. These unstable molecules destroy the normal molecules that form our cells, such as lipids, proteins and even DNA, by turning them into free radicals.

Avocado Oil Protects Cellular Mitochondria to Prevent Free Radical Damage and Aging

The destructive nature of free radicals is behind the genesis of many chronic diseases including hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia and cancer. This knowledge has prompted researchers to investigate the potent antioxidant properties of fruits and vegetables in the fight against these often fatal illnesses.

Many prior studies designed to investigate the impact of food based antioxidants on human health have been disappointing because most phytonutrients are unable to penetrate the mitochondrial power factories housed in each cell. Free radicals continue to damage the delicate mitochondria, causing energy production to stop and the cell to collapse and die.

Researchers from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) have released the results of a study conducted with avocado oil to determine absorption by the mitochondria and subsequent neutralization of deadly free radicals. Avocado oil is highly resistant to oxidation, and has been shown to help neutralize the metabolic effects of iron, a primary cause of cellular oxidation.

Eat Avocados and Avocado Oil Regularly to Prevent Cellular Oxidation Damage

Lead study design author, Dr. Christian Cortez-Rojo noted that “avocado oil causes accelerated respiration in mitochondria, which indicates that the use of nutrients for producing energy for cell functions remains effective even in cells attacked by free radicals and that mitochondria can produce little amounts of damaging free radicals.” Avocados have been maligned for decades as poor dietary advice about fat consumption has prevailed in modern medical culture.

The study concluded that avocado lowers the blood concentration of cholesterol and certain fats that are increased in diabetic patients and that may lead to stroke or heart attack. Adding small amounts of avocado to your daily diet can provide excellent antioxidant support to protect mitochondria from early decline and protect against chronic diseases of aging.

Flavonoids from Fruits and Vegetables Lower Vascular Disease Risks by Twenty Percent

Heart disease and stroke will account for more than a third of all deaths annually, a number that continues to rise as dietary and lifestyle factors that contribute to these illnesses are made worse through a never ending barrage of advertising and marketing sleight of hand. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that consuming moderate amounts of food containing health promoting flavonoids can provide antioxidant support to help lower the risk of heart attack or stroke by close to twenty percent.

The compounds found in a wide range of plant foods, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, dark chocolate, tea and red wine fights systemic inflammation and protects the body’s cellular structures from damage that causes chronic disease. Six to ten servings of vegetables and fruit each day provides a defensive shield against heart disease and stroke.

Flavonoids from Fresh Vegetables and Fruits Lower Vascular Disease Risk

To conduct the study, researchers analyzed the dietary intake of nearly 100,000 older adults (average age 70 years) from the US and divided them into five groups based on their reported flavonoid consumption. The participants were tracked for a period of seven years and assessed for associations between total flavonoid ingestion, seven specific flavonoid classes and development of heart disease or cardiovascular mortality.

After compiling the data, scientists determined that those individuals with the highest consumption of flavonoids (top fifth) were eighteen percent less likely to die of heart disease or stroke compared to those eating the lowest amount of flavonoids. Any intervention that can lower the risk of either of these chronic and potentially fatal diseases by close to twenty percent should be considered relevant and can make a big difference when considered as part of a population level analysis.

Flavonoids Lower Heart Disease Risk by Lowering Inflammation and Providing Antioxidant Support

The lead researcher from the American Cancer Society, Marjorie L. McCullough commented “Flavonoid-rich foods also contain many other healthful nutrients, so it's hard to know whether the compounds, themselves, deserve all the credit for the lower cardiovascular risks.” A wealth of prior studies have found that a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruits is beneficial to vascular health, in part due to the myriad of flavonoid compounds and also due to the high content of B vitamins and other carotenoids known to lower disease risk.

It is important to note that the people in the top fifth of participants consumed 24 servings of vegetables and 20 servings of fruits each week, demonstrating that large quantities are not necessary for maximum benefits. McCullough concluded “So even adding one serving of flavonoid-rich food a day could be beneficial.” Although this study did not make specific note of sugar and processed food consumption, these foods are classified as ‘anti-nutrients’ and negate the positive benefits of flavonoids and other plant-based nutrients to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Strawberries Increase Antioxidant Levels to Lower Chronic Disease Risks

Strawberries are shown to be a potent source of antioxidants in a body of research published in the journal Food Chemistry. In vivo studies confirm that regular consumption of the flavorful fruit raise antioxidant blood saturation levels.

This can help to lower the risk of chronic diseases ranging from heart disease and cancer to metabolic disorders including diabetes. The study, conducted by Italian and Spanish researchers demonstrated that eating two cups of strawberries daily for two weeks boosted the antioxidant status of red blood cells and improved the body`s immune response reaction to oxidative stress to lower disease risk.

Strawberries Shown to Significantly Increase Disease-Fighting Antioxidants in Blood

European researchers have demonstrated the antioxidant capacity of strawberries on human health using volunteers at the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy. Twelve healthy adults were fed the equivalent of two cups of strawberries over the course of a day for a period of two weeks.

Blood samples were taken after four, eight, twelve and sixteen days and then again after a month. Live blood analysis showed that regular consumption of this super fruit significantly increases the antioxidant capacity of blood plasma as well as the resistance of red blood cells to oxidative haemolysis in a process known as fragmentation.

Lead author and researcher, Dr. Maurizio Battino commented on the initial results “We have shown that some varieties of strawberries make erythrocytes more resistant to oxidative stress. This could be of great significance if you take into account that this phenomenon can lead to serious diseases.”

Strawberries Lower Risk of Developing Heart Disease, Cancer and Dementia

Researchers are continuing to test a variety of strawberry strains and different consumption levels to determine optimal antioxidant levels. They note that strawberries should form part of a healthy, balanced diet and be included as a daily serving of fruits and vegetables necessary to lower disease risk.

Strawberries contain a large concentration of phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids known to exert potent antioxidant properties. Flavonoid consumption triggers an extensive arsenal of antioxidant mechanisms that function at the cellular level to fight free radical production and lower the risk from heart disease, cancer, diabetes and dementia. Antioxidants promote normal cellular function and are either manufactured by the body or consumed through diet in the form of natural foods such as strawberries.

When the blood antioxidant capacity is lowered by stress, physical exertion or normal metabolic function, oxidative stress occurs and the risk of chronic disease increases exponentially. Many forward-thinking scientists posit that oxidative stress is a key factor determining how quickly we age, and foods such as strawberries hold the answer to slow this process and prevent a host of deadly illnesses.

Antioxidant Rich Diet Lowers Risk of Diabetes

Pharmaceuticals are not the answer to cure or treat diabetes. Avandia is the latest drug to be questioned for its efficacy and side effects that increase the risk of heart attack by a whopping 43%. The Commission on Human Medicines in Great Britain has recommended pulling the drug because its risks outweigh the benefits.

The FDA has decided to keep it on the market as it continues to destroy the lives of millions of unsuspecting users. Research demonstrates that the key to the escalating explosion in new diabetes cases is not with a drug but rather a natural diet packed with nutrients and antioxidants.

Diabetes Drugs Don`t Treat the Underlying Problem

It`s no surprise that research continues to validate that diet is more effective in halting the metabolic effects that lead to diabetes compared with dangerous and ineffective drugs. Drugs work to force sugar out of the blood and into cells regardless of whether it`s needed for energy. A natural diet of fresh vegetables and lean protein sources prevents the surge of glucose seen after a high processed carbohydrate meal by preventing the initial release of sugar.

Study Confirms Diet is Critical to Diabetes Prevention

The results of a study performed in Italy and presented to The Endocrine Society confirmed the effectiveness of diet and diabetes prevention. Study participants were placed into four groups and given a 1,500 calorie diet. Half were placed on a diet that was concentrated in antioxidants (fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts) and the other group ate a standard low calorie diet along with the diabetes drug metformin. 

While all participants lost weight due to the reduced calorie diet, only the group eating the antioxidant diet showed a significant decrease in insulin resistance and blood glucose control. No measureable effect was seen in the group taking the drug. The principal author concluded "The beneficial effects of antioxidants are known, but we have revealed for the first time one of their biological bases of action - improving hormonal action in obese subjects with the metabolic syndrome". A diet high in antioxidants is known to help prevent and treat diseases ranging from heart disease to cancer and dementia.

Enlist an Antioxidant Diet in your Disease Prevention Arsenal

Antioxidants from natural foods neutralize the effects of free radicals that damage the small energy generating mitochondria found in all cells. This leads to cellular dysfunction and ultimately to cell death when the damage becomes too much to sustain normal function. Free radicals are the primary vehicle driving the aging process and initiation of most disease processes. Include a variety of colorful berries, grapes, tomatoes, carrots, spinach, broccoli, nuts and seeds to naturally combat the damage caused by normal metabolic activity.

The standard medical protocol to prevent and treat diabetes is to prescribe from a long list of FDA approved medications and incorporate a low fat diet void of antioxidants. Drugs typically prescribed to diabetics are ineffective and many have been shown to be dangerous. Unprocessed foods are packed with natural antioxidants that can lower the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease and provide a much better choice than the pharmaceutical alternatives promoted by the medical profession.