Beauty Health for Life

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 ined 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.

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.

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.