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New research has found that those who consume more foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, tea, red wine and dark chocolate, could lower their risk of dementia. Led by researchers, the study, reveals that increasing the intake of flavonoid-rich foods and drinks could help reduce the risk of developing the incurable illness. While age and genetics contribute substantially to the development of the disease, evidence has shown that risk factors such as diet, can play an important role in prevention. Flavoniods, primarily found in plant foods, have a range of health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. They...

A daily cup of tea could help you to enjoy better health late in life. However, if you're not a tea drinker, there are other things you can add to your diet. The key is flavonoids, which are naturally occurring substances found in many common foods and beverages such as black and green tea, apples, nuts, citrus fruit, berries and more. A study of 881 elderly women (median age of 80) has found that the participants were far less likely to have extensive buildup of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) if they consumed a high level of flavonoids in their diet....

A cup of tea just got a bit more relaxing. Tea can be part of a healthy diet and people who drink tea may even be a little more likely to live longer than those who don't, according to a large study. Tea contains helpful substances known to reduce inflammation. Past studies in China and Japan, where green tea is popular, suggested health benefits. The new study extends the good news to the U.K.'s favorite drink: black tea. Scientists from the U.S. National Cancer Institute used a large database project that asked about the tea habits of nearly a half...

The preliminary deals signed by Angola's state oil company, Sonangol, Wednesday to develop two small fields in the most dangerous part of Iraq constituted a major breakthrough for Baghdad's high-risk drive to attract international oil companies to help it restore its flagging fortunes and transform the global energy market. Over the next 20 years Sonangol will develop the Qayara and Najmah fields, which between them contain an estimated 1.66 billion barrels of oil, in Nineveh province, where al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgents operate. But the Oil Ministry will pay the company $5-$6 for every barrel its produces. That's three times...

Polysaccharides from black tea may blunt the spike in sugar levels after a meal more than similar compounds from green and oolong tea, and offer potential to manage diabetes, says a new study. The black tea polysaccharides also exhibited the greatest activity for scavenging free radicals, which are linked to development of diseases such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, according to new findings published in the Journal of Food Science. Interest in tea and its constituents has bloomed in recent years, with the greatest focus on the leaf’s polyphenol content. Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of...

Scranton, PA, Apr. 19 (UPI) -- Black tea is as good as green tea in reducing sugar levels and inhibiting cataracts in diabetic mice, researchers said Tuesday. The study by the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania found both teas reduced glucose levels and other diabetic complications, such as cataracts, during the three-month test on rats. "Most people, scientists included, believe that green tea has more health benefits than black tea," said lead author Joe Vinson. of the research to be published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The finding that green and black teas are...

April 21, 2003 — Certain types of tea have long been known to protect against cancer, but now US researchers have reason to believe they may also boost the immune system. The findings are very preliminary, but Brigham and Women's researchers reported that volunteers who were asked to drink 20 ounces of black tea a day demonstrated stronger immune responses to infection than they had previously, or than a control group of coffee drinkers. "The health benefits of tea have been touted for centuries but no human research has demonstrated an association between tea drinking and immunology," said lead author...