Marcelle Pick Site

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

I just returned from a conference where everyone was discussing vitamin D. It’s been a hot topic in both conventional and alternative medicine lately because vitamin D deficiency is widespread and seems to be related to so many health concerns: osteoporosis, depression, heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes, parathyroid problems, immune function — even weight loss.

Many of today’s conventional clinicians received little to no training in medical school for this problem. They may not be in the habit of testing for vitamin D deficiency or, if they are testing their patients, familiar with treatment. But practitioners from both sides of the aisle are seeing more cases of vitamin D deficiency and awareness is on the rise — one colleague reported that 85–90% of his patients don’t get enough D. And that’s consistent with what we see at Women to Women.

For more information, read our article, “Vitamin D Testing and Treatment – What You Need To Know.”

How can this be happening? And what should you do about it for you and your family? The answer isn’t as simple as drinking more fortified milk.

We’ve been testing and treating patients for vitamin D deficiencies for many years, and I know there are effective, natural strategies that work in most cases. Diagnosis is easy, and treatment with supplementation is easy, safe, affordable, and can bring wonderful results. So let’s explore vitamin D’s role in your health and how to determine what you should do.

What does vitamin D do for the body?

This essential nutrient is called a vitamin, but dietary vitamin D is actually a precursor hormone — the building block of a powerful steroid hormone in your body called calcitriol. It’s been known for many years that vitamin D is critical to the health of our bones and teeth, but deeper insight into vitamin D’s wider role in our health is quite new.

Vitamin D works in concert with other nutrients and hormones in your body to support healthy bone renewal — an ongoing process of mineralization and demineralization which, when awry, shows up as rickets in children and osteomalacia (“soft bones”) or osteoporosis (“porous bones”) in adults.

Researchers are discovering that D also promotes normal cell growth and differentiation throughout the body, working as a key factor in maintaining hormonal balance and a healthy immune system. It appears that calcitriol actually becomes part of the physical composition of cells, assisting in the buildup and breakdown of healthy tissue — in other words, regulating the processes that keep you well.

What’s more, evidence from studies tracking the prevalence of disease by geography and nationality shows clear links between vitamin D deficiency and obesity, insulin resistance, heart disease, certain cancers, and depression. Since most of these problems take many years to manifest, vitamin D deficiency has been overlooked by many providers for a very long time. I test all of my patients, and have been surprised to find that more than 85% come up with a vitamin D deficiency.

Your body can’t create vitamin D on its own. Instead, it’s designed to make it through sun exposure. In theory, you can make an ample supply of vitamin D with as little as a couple of hours per week in the sun — provided the UVB rays are strong enough. You can also ingest D through food, especially fatty fish like wild–harvested salmon. Plus, lots of foods are fortified nowadays, so vitamin D deficiency should be an easy problem to solve, right? But the truth is, we’re just not getting enough, and so many of us aren’t even close.

For more information, read our article, “Vitamin D — The New Giant For Bone Health And Overall Disease Prevention.”

Major vitamin D functions

• Supports key mineral absorption and metabolism (especially calcium and phosphorus in the blood and bones)
• Regulates normal cell differentiation and proliferation (e.g., prevention of cancer)
• Promotes insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation (insulin secretion)
• Regulates over 200 genes through binding to vitamin D receptors throughout the body

Vitamin D requirements

The growing awareness of how much our bodies rely on vitamin D has raised concern that the dietary recommended daily intake values (DRI’s) are woefully obsolete — 200 IU (International Units) a day for adults 19–50 years old, 400 IU for those 51–70, and 600 IU for those over 70. Experts now agree that the DRI’s for vitamin D are way too low, particularly for people who don’t get sufficient sun exposure.

Some studies have shown that adults need 3000–5000 IU per day, and others indicate healthy adults can readily metabolize up to 10,000 IU vitamin D per day without harmful side effects. The European Union’s Scientific Committee on Food lists 2000 IU per day as the safety cut-off, as does the US Food and Nutrition Board. But the latest science strongly suggests most adults should be taking more. What gives? We agree that unless you have testing and monitoring, there is wisdom in keeping the safe upper intake at 2000 IU per day. On balance, the point here is that vitamin D at doses far higher than today’s daily intake values (DRI’s) appears to be safe, to promote optimal health, to reduce the risk of many serious diseases, and even to speed healing for serious health concerns.

Vitamin D supplementation appears beneficial throughout our lifespan, from in utero to advanced age. A recent long-term study indicates that we are at less risk of developing osteoporosis later in life if our mothers had adequate stores on board while pregnant. Another age group needing ample vitamin D is teenage girls living in northern climates, who for much of the year cannot get enough sunlight to make enough vitamin D naturally. Optimal bone growth and accumulation during puberty may be a factor in preventing osteoporosis later on in life, and a new, higher daily recommendation for teenage girls (2000 IU — up from 200 IU) would be wise, particularly in winter.

It’s important to note that we lose some of our ability to synthesize and absorb vitamin D as we age. As we grow older and our skin thins, the amount of the vitamin D precursor (a derivative of cholesterol) in it decreases, too. Women entering perimenopause and menopause, when there can be accelerated bone loss, can slow bone loss by getting enough vitamin D on board. The elderly, who are at increased risk of falls and fractures, also stand to benefit from taking vitamin D. Some studies in the US indicate that supplementation with vitamin D and calcium significantly reduces bone loss and incidence of nonvertebral fractures in women 65 and over. Even in sunny Australia, a two-year study conducted among the elderly showed that supplementation with vitamin D reduced incidence of falls and fractures. But supplements alone are not enough to protect your bones for life — see our Bone Health section for more guidance.

Another consideration is that not all forms of vitamin D are created equally — some are more readily usable (bioavailable). The average healthy body can naturally synthesize about 10,000–15,000 IU of vitamin D3 in the skin within just minutes of sun exposure, without ill effect. We have natural checks and balances that shut off vitamin D build-up once we get enough. When we eat sources of vitamin D, they enter the lymphatic system through the intestines, bypassing the skin’s natural shut-off valve. Nevertheless, recent studies suggest the body can use large periodic doses of oral vitamin D3 every few weeks or so and not become toxic. Still, this is a practice reserved for the therapeutic setting, where the individual is being closely monitored.

Getting back to what happens in the body, both sunlight-generated and dietary vitamin D forms go into circulation and are passed along to the liver, where they get converted into calcidiol. This is the circulating form of vitamin D (25[OH]D, or 25-hydroxyvitamin D) that gets measured by testing labs when you have your blood drawn for a vitamin D test.

Next, calcidiol is converted in the kidneys and other organs into calcitriol. This is biologically active form of vitamin D, also known as vitamin D3 (or 1,25[OH]2D; or simply cholecalciferol). This is the form that goes to work by attaching itself to vitamin D receptors present throughout the body. Today we know there are vitamin D receptors in some three dozen different target organs in the body! Researchers have also recently found that in addition to being converted in the kidneys to this active form, calcidiol is converted into calcitriol in about ten other organs in the body — the lymph glands and skin tissue, too, for example. These discoveries are exciting because they lead us to understand how important vitamin D is for whole-body wellness, not the least of which include prevention — and treatment — of certain types of cancer.

But you don’t need to remember a lot of forms and formulas to appreciate what this powerhouse vitamin/hormone has to offer you. The bottom line is, we still don’t fully understand all the mechanisms behind vitamin D’s actions and forms in the body — we just know our bodies rely on a certain amount and that many of us aren’t getting enough. The truth is that adequate levels are probably highly individualized and depend on a variety of factors. To know whether you’re vitamin D deficient, you need to get a blood test from your healthcare practitioner. For more information, read our article about vitamin D testing.

How do I know if I’m getting enough vitamin D?

Awareness of vitamin D first took center stage in the early part of the 20th century, although it was described in medical writings as early as the 17th century. Children with vitamin D deficiency developed rickets, a condition where the body fails to mineralize bone. This led to the daily dosing of children with cod liver oil, and a movement to fortify milk and cereal with vitamin D as well. By the 1960’s, rickets had become a relatively rare disease.

These days, most commercial milk suppliers fortify their products with vitamin D in the form of ergocalciferol (also known as D2) or cholecalciferol (D3). Some orange juice makers are doing the same, and like many food fads, you can soon expect to see lots of other products claiming to be good for you because they’re fortified with vitamin D. While the amount in these beverages is enough to ward off malnutrition, you’d have to drink gallons a day to reach optimal levels. That’s just too much milk or juice for most adults. And, while a tablespoon or two of cod liver oil a day is still a superb idea, many people won’t touch it — you could say it’s an acquired taste!

In reality, there really is no sufficient dietary source. But let’s not write off vitamin D-fortified foods altogether. A bakery here in the US recently created a new vitamin D-fortified bread, but it contained so much vitamin D they had to go to Europe to test it, where allowable limits are more progressive. The recipe also included calcium carbonate, and the bread was reported to increase lumbar bone mineral density in the elderly patients consuming it. Fortified bread isn’t the way to go for everyone, of course, but it could provide a dietary option to weakly fortified milk and orange juice.

As we now know, sun exposure was critical for sufficient vitamin D to our ancestors. Until modern times, human beings spent a great deal of time outdoors. The origin of our species was subtropical, meaning we naturally got enough sun exposure to generate vitamin D. But as Homo sapiens migrated to less temperate climes this changed. Over many generations, the shift from a hunter-gatherer to an agrarian-based to an increasingly industrialized society also meant less and less time in the sun. Today many of us work inside sealed buildings with glazed windows, and we wear sunblock and drive everywhere in cars instead of walking outdoors. Any glass windows or sunblock with an SPF above 15 will block the UVB rays necessary for vitamin D conversion.

If you live in a region above latitude 40 (a horizontal line that runs from just below New York City west to northern California), then the sun is only strong enough between May and September to trigger the vitamin D conversion (or the converse in the Southern Hemisphere). This means that a large percentage of the population is at significant risk much of the year for vitamin D deficiency. For all these reasons we recommend 2000 IU per day for anyone at or above this latitude, at least from the fall through the spring months. But the ideal course of action is vitamin D testing, since there is so much individual variation. You would really need to see your practitioner and have your vitamin D levels tested before upping your supplemental dose beyond 2000 IU per day.

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms

Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak bones and fractures, low energy and fatigue, lowered immunity, depression and mood swings, and sleep irregularities. Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient.

Vitamin D, menopause, and osteoporosis

As we age, our bodies slowly lose the ability to mobilize vitamin D, a process that lowers our calcium absorption rates. This creates a higher risk of osteoporosis, particularly in post-menopausal women.

We’re not sure how sex hormones affect vitamin D conversion, but women seem to have a harder time stimulating the mechanism that builds bone tissue when their estrogen levels are reduced.

Calcium is clearly an important co-factor to vitamin D, and may lose efficacy if vitamin D is deficient or estrogen levels are low, as vitamin D appears to be the more critical factor in bone health. A recent study by scientists at the University of Massachusetts found that a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D can help control some symptoms of PMS, such as tearfulness, anxiety, and irritability.

What does this mean? No one knows for sure, but it is more evidence that all the systems of the body are connected and we can’t look for easy answers in one place.

Vitamin D and weight loss

I’m sure many of you have seen the “diet with dairy” ads launched by the American Dairy Council. Some studies have shown that weight loss does occur with an increase in calcium intake, while others appear to refute this. Since vitamin D is directly involved in calcium absorption, it stands to reason that vitamin D is also a factor in how the body regulates weight.

Moreover, people who have a reduced capacity to mobilize vitamin D often weigh more and have more body fat than those with full capacity. In the past 20 years multiple studies have shown a correlation between higher blood levels of vitamin D and leaner body mass.

To my thinking, what seems essential for us to understand here is the vitamin D connection with insulin resistance. Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the wide set of disorders associated with metabolic syndrome (syndrome X), as well as to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). In a study published in 2004, the authors saw a 60% improvement in insulin sensitivity in healthy, vitamin D replete adults — and concluded vitamin D was more potent than two prescription medications commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes! But the cadres of drug reps spread out across America are not likely to be reminding your healthcare practitioner about this study. They are not likely to have heard about it!

For more information, refer to our extensive article list in our Insulin Resistance section.

Clearly, vitamin D seems to be very important in regulating our weight, but we don’t yet understand the mechanism involved or how it relates to our environment and individual biochemistry. Still, there seems to be a correlation between rising rates of obesity and vitamin D deficiency. If you are having difficulty with insulin resistance or weight gain — or can’t keep the pounds off once you lose them — you may want to have your vitamin D levels checked by your healthcare practitioner.

Vitamin D and cancer

Evidence is mounting that vitamin D may protect against some cancers, particularly breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancers. In fact, over 60 years of research have shown vitamin D supplementation or sunlight-induced vitamin D conversion to be associated with lower incidence of cancers.

There is also a higher incidence of breast cancer in northern climates, but whether that is associated with lower levels of vitamin D is still speculation. Vitamin D deficiency most certainly affects your immune system because calcitriol actually helps regulate cell division, so adequate levels may help sustain normal cell growth. And stress and other physiological markers can disrupt the function of vitamin D receptors, among others, making us more susceptible to unusual cell activity.

Vitamin D and depression

Another area of vitamin D research is its relationship to depression. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a situational mood disorder brought on by decreasing daylight in the winter months. High doses of vitamin D during these months have proven to be a very effective natural remedy for SAD, leading most practitioners to believe that normal neurotransmitter function depends in part on adequate vitamin D synthesis.

Vitamin D levels are inversely related to those of melatonin, another mood-regulating hormone. Melatonin helps modulate your circadian rhythms, with darkness triggering melatonin secretion by the pineal gland within your brain, bringing you down gently at night for sleep. Insomnia, mood swings and food cravings are influenced by melatonin. Sunlight shuts melatonin production off, while triggering release of vitamin D — that’s why doctors recommend getting outdoors as a remedy for jet lag.

Most of us can sense the positive influence of sunlight in our own lives by the immediate lift we get from taking a walk outdoors on a beautiful sunny day. Now there may be many factors at work that brighten our mood in such cases, but sun exposure is almost certainly a critical piece. Soaking in the warmth of the sun is one of the most relaxing activities we share with all living creatures — just watch a cat dozing in a beam of sunlight.

Healthy sunbathing — is it possible?

Our bodies are remarkably efficient. During the summer months, even as little as 15 minutes in the sun (without sunblock!) in the early morning and late afternoon is enough for most light-skinned individuals to create an ample supply of vitamin D. Skin with more pigment (melanin) may require up to 40 minutes.

But some say we are trading our longer lifespan for an increased risk of skin cancers, so don’t throw away your sunblock! It’s still important to protect your skin, particularly on your face and scalp, during the sun’s peak hours (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM) by using a lotion with SPF–15 (or higher), preferably PABA–free. Melanoma is a serious condition, and I’m not in favor of increasing your risk with unhealthy sun exposure.

This means taking care, not to be out in the sun unprotected for more than 15 minutes twice a day, in the early morning and late afternoon. If you begin to turn red before 15 minutes, cover up completely or go inside. It is never a healthy practice to burn your skin. It is also not safe to rely on tanning beds as a primary source of vitamin D, because their lamps are usually calibrated to favor UVA rays, not the UVB rays that stimulate vitamin D production. For more information, read our article, “Vitamin D And Tanning Beds.”

I do believe from what I see in my patients here in Maine that the problem is on the rise. But it just makes good “body sense” to allow your skin to do what it already knows how — produce vitamin D with sunlight. What’s more, unlike with supplements, it’s impossible to get a vitamin D overdose from sun exposure.

Understanding your own individual needs and levels of tolerance for vitamin D are important parts of healthy self-care. I would like to think that you wouldn’t just assume that because you live at a far northern (or southern) latitude, or work indoors and don’t get much sun exposure, you’re vitamin D deficient and need supplements. To fully answer that question you would need to see a medical professional and get a blood test. See our article on vitamin D testing and treatment for more information on testing and avoiding toxicity.

What you can do to prevent vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency may be a pervasive problem — one that we treat with specific therapies at our medical practice — but the best way to protect yourself from any deficiency is to build your health from the bottom up and let your body balance itself. We acknowledge the controversy over whether our primary source of vitamin D should be the sun, diet, or supplements. Which combination is best for you depends on many variables, including your age, nutritional status, and geographic location. In a world where so many of us are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, we recognize each of these sources as valuable. With this in mind we recommend the following steps to prevent vitamin D deficiency:

• Allow yourself limited, unprotected sun exposure in the early morning and late afternoon (no more than 15 minutes for light-skinned individuals, 40 minutes for darker skin) — particularly between May and September if you live in anywhere higher than about 35–40° latitude. (See the World Atlas to check out your latitude!)
• Eat a diet rich in whole foods. Nutrient-dense, fatty fish like mackerel and sardines are good sources of vitamin D. Egg yolks, fortified organic milk and other dairy products, and some organ meats (like liver) are also reasonably good natural sources of D. Because vitamin D is still somewhat of a mystery, we’re not sure which co-factors are important for its absorption, but we can surmise they are most fully present in wholesome food.
• Take a top-quality multivitamin every day to fill in any nutritional gaps, preferably one that includes fish oil.
• Take a vitamin D supplement. Supplement additionally with vitamin D3 at 1000–2000 IU daily if you do not get testing (or higher with testing, under the care of your healthcare practitioner). For a long time, vitamin D therapy was being prescribed as vitamin D2. To our thinking, this form has more potential for toxicity and is much less effective than natural vitamin D3. Nowadays vitamin D3 supplements are widely recognized as the superior, more bio-ready form for use in the body. How much you need really depends on your particular needs, so testing is really the best way to go for most people.
• Check with your healthcare professional about vitamin D testing. If you think you may be suffering from vitamin D deficiency, get a blood test and ask for the results. I like to see an optimal value of 50–70 ng/mL. A conventional doctor might think anywhere from 20–50 ng/mL is normal, but that recommendation will soon change as the newest research becomes incorporated into the standard of conventional care. Please see our article on testing and treatment for guidelines and precautions.
• Discuss adding a vitamin D supplement to your diet with your healthcare provider. If you don’t get out in the sun every day for 15 minutes in the early morning and late afternoon, consider supplementing with 1000–2000 IU per day — at least during the winter months! But you may need higher levels to reap all the long-term health benefits vitamin D has to offer you, so talk it over with your healthcare provider. This is so important for women of all ages — especially those over 50. Then be sure to get follow-up testing to monitor your response.

Women to Women offers these high-quality, pharmaceutical grade supplements to enhance your health.  Click here to see what we have to offer.

And keep in mind that in the end, optimal health is never about just one thing. Vitamin D is just one component of an ever-changing picture — your health is a work in progress that needs your consistent attention and support.

It may turn out that vitamin D is the key everyone’s been looking for, or more likely an important part of a far greater whole-health picture. But what matters most is how you feel and what works for you. I encourage you to investigate your personal vitamin D level with your medical practitioner as part of a comprehensive approach to your whole health.

For more information, please read our other articles about vitamin D.

by Marcelle Pick, OB-GYN NP

Tea time—12 amazing ways that tea helps keep you young

• Protection against stress and depression
• Protection against weight gain and diabetes
• Protection against infections and chronic disease
• Support for heart and bone health

Take a walk with me into a department store, and let’s see all the shelves of expensive anti-aging products. The media (written and electronic) constantly reminds us that we should look younger. Girls and women are given the impression that they should look a certain way, have a certain kind of body, and often are found trying hard to look like someone that they are not. Let’s change that!

I don’t think it’s as much about how we look, as it is about how we feel! I want to have a healthy balance in my life. I want to feel good as I age, and I want to participate in activities that keep me engaged and passionate. It is possible for us to live to be 90 years old and be living a life that we want. And the good news is that there is something simple and inexpensive to help us do that.

As a practitioner, I was thrilled to find out that the latest medical discovery for healthy aging is actually a remarkably commonplace substance. It’s tea! This is the same kind of tea found in your local grocery or health food store—readily available in a variety of kinds and flavors, and it is reasonably priced. Let’s take a look at this remarkable substance.

Tea, known as Camellia sinensis, has been revered by many cultures for thousands of years, plenty of time to make note of its positive effects on health. But now there is evidence that drinking tea truly does help you live a longer, better life: recent research show that tea (black, green, oolong, and other varieties—and the different ingredients each can contain), has distinct effects at the cellular level that enhance health and slow down the natural aging process. And of course the ritual of drinking it is also very helpful to calm the nervous system.

Let’s review the power that tea has – it can:

• Relieve certain health-related symptoms
• Reduce the risk of developing, and dying from, a long list of illnesses
• Prevent chronic diseases, and those related to lifestyle, by reducing inflammation
• Promote wellness and improve quality of life

You might ask, how could it be that something as simple as tea has such important health benefits? Well, in truth, the list of molecules in various teas is lengthy, and their interactions with the body are quite complex. Researchers have pinpointed a number of individual elements as responsible for tea’s wide-ranging health advantages, and now, a tremendous amount of new research is filling in the details.

More than cozy comfort: tea warms physically and emotionally

Drinking tea is refreshing, comforting, and relaxing, so a direct correlation between tea consumption and better health just adds new benefits to this habit. The newest scientific inquiries are helping define the specific actions that tea has on our bodies and our longevity.

Let’s start with the effects that you can feel, because in some ways those are the most noticeable and immediate benefits. While we’ve learned from experience that a nice, hot “cuppa” can help calm and relax us, research shows that black tea actually promotes quicker recovery from stress events at a physiological level. Because this effect is measured by the speedier return to normal levels of stress hormones, it could also confer significant downstream benefits, such as reduction of adrenal imbalance and risk of heart disease.

If you drink several daily cups of green tea—a common practice all across Asia—you may have less psychological stress overall. And studies on older people show that green tea can also reduce the prevalence of depressive symptoms and even improve psychological well-being. Green tea has also been found to help with the livers detoxification abilities which become that much important as we age.

Health span effects you can measure—and weigh

As the prevalence of obesity and diabetes increases, it’s a relief to know that tea can help with both conditions. While a study of instant tea showed it can help stabilize blood sugar, other research indicates another type of tea—oolong—helps control the blood sugar effect that carbohydrates have on people with type 2 diabetes.

Green tea contains some caffeine, like most teas, but it also contains phytochemicals with powerful antioxidant properties called catechins. Researchers think that both these substances can help increase your ability to lose abdominal fat while exercising and may even reduce triglyceride levels in people who don’t exercise at all! Most detoxification programs encourage the use of green tea on a daily basis.

Green tea is liver-friendly. It helps you metabolize fats, and may even stop the build-up of fatty deposits in the liver. But I think the most interesting and youth-preserving effect is how green tea can improve your body’s all-important ability to detoxify.

The catechins found most abundantly in green tea (but also present in black, oolong, and white teas) increase levels of key protective enzymes. The protective effects of catechins need more exploration, but to date these enzymes have been found to help balance the two stages of liver detox (phase I and phase II), reduce toxic effects of reactive intermediate substances created during the detoxification process, and neutralize certain cancer-causing molecules.

A teakettle-full of immune support

We all try to avoid catching seasonal illnesses, such as colds and flu, but it still happens. When I’m achy or have a scratchy throat, I find a soothing cup of hot tea hits the spot. But now there is scientific proof that this benefit transcends the psychological. Green tea can actually reduce cold and flu symptoms and get you back on your feet faster. In fact, people who drink green tea just seem to get fewer colds overall.

The tea plant contains ingredients that work individually to help you fight germs and bugs, like L-theanine, which is thought to activate the infection-fighting T-cells in your immune system. Theanine is found most abundantly in fine green teas that are shade-grown, but again, in all types of true tea. Theanine is also helpful as a support for the neurotransmitters.

Other tea ingredients have effects that are anti-inflammatory and antiviral—polyphenols or catechins, such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In theory, the ability to suppress inflammation may translate into less autoimmune activity in cells exposed to EGCG, accounting for lower incidence of autoimmune diseases, such as dry mouth (xerostoma) and rheumatoid arthritis in green tea–loving populations.

When taken with antibiotics, green tea has been found to effectively supercharge them and help knock out “superbugs” and bacterial strains previously resistant to treatment. White tea can also protect against bacterial infections.

Tea can shrink your risk of chronic disease

In Japan, where even the preparation of tea is an ancient and beloved ritual, green tea is a household staple. Several studies there focus on its health effects offer encouraging results: along with helping prevent cells from becoming cancerous, green tea may also help prevent recurrence of the disease in cancer patients. Emerging research around the globe points to the power that green and black teas may have to prevent gastric cancer, and cancers of the blood, breast, ovaries, colon, mouth, and prostate.

Drinking tea regularly may help ease another common fear many of us have about aging: loss of cognitive function. Research shows that both black and green teas protect against Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and guard against the memory loss that is a telltale hallmark of AD.

In the prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, black and green teas both have value. Black tea decreases your risk of getting PD by a staggering 71%, while green tea is able to slow down the progression of this devastating disease. The research is still not quite clear on the exact mechanism for the action.

Tea for the heart: more than an ounce of prevention

If you’ve followed recent health trends, you know that the greatest overall threat to women’s longevity is cardiovascular disease. After menopause women’s risk of heart disease almost approximates that of men. We’ve learned a lot about how diet and lifestyle can contribute to this degenerative condition, and now we’re starting to pinpoint effective ways to help prevent it. Tea fits right into a healthy lifestyle focused on avoiding cardiovascular disease.

For people who drink lots of green tea, such as the Japanese, there is a measurable reduction in the risk of death from heart disease. The polyphenols in green tea have the ability to facilitate blood flow through the vessels, and this circulatory effect can actually reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and the risk of dying from it.

Stronger bones for longer life

Natural bone health also enhances a woman’s health span as the years advance. Again, tea comes to the rescue with well-documented, bone-conserving benefits. For starters, drinking tea is linked to higher bone mineral density (BMD), a reduction in hip fractures, and preservation of the hip structure in general. And tea helps protect against bone loss even after menopause.

Bone tissue is intended to naturally break down and build back up throughout your life. Green tea can perform double duties in this process because it helps stimulate mineralization to generate bone formation, while simultaneously inhibiting the formation of osteoclasts, the cells that remove bone tissue.

Can tea make you younger?

A large amount of recent, cutting-edge science has focused on the factors that influence our ability to grow old gracefully. Now, tea is not a “fountain of youth,” but it might make a difference in the rate at which you age. Several studies show that black tea, and especially green tea, can help protect your DNA’s telomeres. Telomeres cap the ends of your chromosomes, protecting the genetic information they contain, and by preserving them from fraying, ingredients found in tea can, in essence, help you stay “younger” than your chronological years.

Additional studies show that tea can support healthy aging by promoting eye health and oral health. Specifically, tea has been associated with the preservation of retinal function in glaucoma and ischemia and protects against gum disease.

Invite tea into your lifestyle

The body of scientific evidence proving the health advantages of tea continues to blossom more each year. As a practitioner, I think it’s been fun to watch this familiar, everyday drink—enjoyed for thousands of years and revered as an elixir of longevity—morph into the latest medical marvel. But it makes perfect sense! When we look at the cultures where tea drinking has been most embedded throughout human history, the distinct health benefits of tea are apparent.

Many of us have been told—by our practitioners, families, or society itself—that we are too old to change; or that weight gain, exhaustion, and a loss of energy are the inevitable companions of aging. But both the research I have reviewed and the patients I have treated offer ample evidence that this is simply not true. You’re never too old to change. You’re never too old to lose weight, regain your energy, and face life with a sense of wonder and delight. You may be able to make several changes quickly, or you may need to dig in for a long haul. Either way, if you are determined to make things better for yourself, you absolutely can.

We as women want to become braver and clearer about the path that is right for us. We can choose to follow a better diet that will bring renewed health and vigor. We can choose to support one another in a partnership of growth. And with aging, we will bring the wisdom to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others.

So today, why not choose one of the many varieties of tea, invite a friend to join you in a cuppa, and sit back and enjoy the moment. What a great way to naturally get a balance in your life! This preventive lifestyle habit might be one that helps keep you as young as you feel. Here’s to your health!

Tea, breathing, and lung health

Green tea

• Helps limit lung damage caused by cigarette smoke
• Limits the mental impairment that may result from obstructive sleep apnea

Black tea

• Prevents oxidative damage (from free radicals), inflammation, and cell death associated with exposure to cigarette smoke

(References)

Tea’s effects on arthritis

It used to be thought that arthritis was an inevitable fact of life for us as we grew older, but there is a lot more to the equation, including a strong inflammatory component.

Studies show tea consumption can protect against autoimmune arthritis, delay the onset of rheumatoid arthritis, and reduce joint damage and inflammation in those who already have it.

(References)

Top 12 health benefits of tea

1. Stress recovery and relief from psychological distress
2. Insulin regulation and weight maintenance
3. Arthritis prevention
4. Immune system support and cold/flu relief
5. Reduction in risk of certain cancers
6. Protection against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
7. Reduced risk for cardiovascular disease
8. Bone health promotion
9. Prevention of lung damage
10. Healthier aging
11. Detoxification benefits
12. Enhances parasympathetic changes

Doesn’t tea contain caffeine?

Yes. Tea’s caffeine content varies according to the variety and steeping time. It’s perfectly fine for most people to have a daily 8–10 ounce cup (or two) of tea or another caffeinated beverage—just don’t overdo it.

• Black tea: 6 oz—50 mg caffeine
• Green tea: 6 oz—30 mg caffeine
• Coffee: 6 oz—110–170 mg caffeine