Health Fact:

A study presented at the March meeting of the American College of Cardiologists in Atlanta gives further support to evidence that foods high in antioxidants may help to prevent heart disease. The researchers studied the ability of human test subjects' blood vessels to dilate after a high-fat meal. High-fat meals are known to temporarily inhibit blood vessels' ability to dilate or widen in response to increased blood flow. On 3 occasions, 30 subjects were fed a high-fat meal (50 grams fat) along with one cup of either iced black tea, iced green tea, or an iced liquid resembling tea. Ultrasound measurements of an artery in the arm of each subject were taken before the meal and then three hours after the meal/beverage. The arteries of those who drank the tea were better able to dilate than those who had no tea. The lead author, Mary Coretti, associate professor of medicine at University of Maryland, says, "Our study found that drinking tea reduced the negative impact of a high-fat meal on blood vessel function."

Caffeine Tip:

Here's a quick way to lower the caffeine content of your tea: Begin brewing your tea like usual. After about 30 seconds, pour out the brewed tea. The vast majority of caffeine is leached out of the leaves in the first 30 seconds, so by throwing this out, you've made a big dent in your caffeine intake. Next, simply pour fresh hot water on the same leaves and continue brewing like normal. Unfortunately, this method doesn't work well with teas that require very short brewing times since there just isn't enough time left to get a good brew without bitterness. But it works well with teas that need 3-5 minutes.

Tea Etiquette Tip:

When stirring your tea, be careful not to clink the spoon into the side of the teacup. According to Dorothea Johnson of the Protocol School of Washington, one should stir "gently and noiselessly by moving the teaspoon in a small arch back and forth in the center of the cup." Then lay your spoon down on the saucer so that the handle of the spoon and the handle of the teacup are parallel to each other, both pointing to four o'clock.

Tea and Health News provided by: TheTeaTable.com

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