Teas for Men's Health

Tea in America is often thought of as a  women's thing, but tea for men is becoming more and more popular. Many men who drink tea are connoisseurs of tea, run tea companies or are into natural medicine. Even herbal teas are catching on with the male population. For thousands of years Japanese men have been drinking green tea, and for centuries British men have been drinking black tea. Teas like black tea and oolong definitely appeal to the masculine in a man.

Many men like to work out in the gym. Did you know that green tea can enhance the workout and increase calorie burn by as much as 4%? The antioxidants in green tea help lower cholesterol and reduce heart attack risk by 11%. Green tea can enhance performance if you are into running. It can increase exercise endurance by 24%.

If a man is looking to lose weight green tea may be useful. Drinking green tea increases the metabolic rate which causes greater oxidation of fat and helps with weight management. With green tea there appears to be some protection against cancer. For men this would include prostate cancer. This is because of catechins in the tea, the most powerful of which is epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. In one large study it was found that men who had five or more cups of green tea a day had a reduced risk of prostate cancer when compared to men who drank less than one cup a day.

Men who are interested in ditching the coffee habit may find tea a good alternative. Black tea has less caffeine than coffee and while it is not as good as green tea, it still has some health benefits in it's own right. Many men see black tea as a more masculine tea, and others prefer oolong. Some like green tea. If drinking green green tea  is not appealing, one can always take supplements of green tea extract.

Sources:
http://www.menshealth.co.uk/food-nutrition/drink-recipes/6-reasons-to-drink-more-green-tea
http://www.menscience.com/Benefits-of-Green-Tea-to-Mens-Health_ep_155.html
Kurahashi N et al. Green tea consumption and prostate cancer risk in Japanese men: a prospective study. Am J Epidemiol 2008;167(1):71-77
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-cooper/real-men-drink-green-tea_b_738955.html

Be sure to check out my website at www.valerielull.com. I am bringing out my book Ten Spices for Health and Longevity in paperback. Stay tuned!

Valerie Lull
Author/Herbalist
Ten Spices for Health and Longevity
valerielull923@gmail.com