A few days ago, sponsored by Life Times, co-organized by Satire and Humor News, and strategic cooperation with Fujian Strait Zhenhua Cultural Tourism Industry Co., Ltd., the first tea health and culture forum in 2021 and "Life Selection" tea The Health Industry Development Summit was held in Beijing in the form of online live broadcast. Experts and scholars from the tea field gathered in the cloud to talk about tea health.
Get to the bottom: Why is drinking tea good for health?
It has become a consensus that drinking tea is beneficial to health, but many people may not be aware of what healthy ingredients are in tea and what specific functions they play.
Ma Guansheng, director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Peking University School of Public Health and vice chairman of the Chinese Nutrition Society, introduced that domestic and foreign studies have shown that in addition to nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, tea is also rich in tea polyphenols and caffeine , Tea polysaccharides, tea pigments, theanine and other phytochemicals, they play an important role in maintaining human health.
"Tea polyphenols are the most important active ingredients in tea. They are the general term for polyphenols, including catechins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acids." Ma Guansheng introduced, among them, catechins Compounds account for more than 60% of the total amount of tea polyphenols. Studies have found that it has the functions of inhibiting the growth of bacteria, reducing inflammation, and regulating the intestinal flora. "Tea polyphenols contain multiple phenolic hydroxyl groups, which have strong antioxidant and free radical scavenging ability. It can be said to be a natural antioxidant." Ma Guansheng said. At the same time, tea polyphenols can also lower blood pressure and lower blood pressure. The role of blood lipids.
"Some people are more sensitive to tea, so they dare not drink green tea in the afternoon. Why? It's actually the caffeine (also called caffeine) in the tea that works." Ma Guansheng said, caffeine is a central nervous stimulant, and a moderate amount of caffeine Has a refreshing and anti-fatigue effect.
"Tea polysaccharides are water-soluble polysaccharides, including xylose, fucose, glucose, galactose, etc." Ma Guansheng said that the content of tea polysaccharides in tea is not high, but it is an important active ingredient that can lower blood fat, lower blood sugar, Anti-salt effect.
Why are the colors of different teas different? Ma Guansheng explained that this is tea pigment at work. "Tea pigments have strong activity and poor structural stability, so the color of tea leaves will change with the time of making tea." He said that tea pigments have a strong effect of enhancing immunity, lowering blood lipids, and resisting arteriosclerosis.
"Why do different teas have different flavors? It is because the content of theanine is different." Ma Guansheng pointed out that theanine is a unique amino acid substance in tea, and it is directly related to the quality of tea. Theanine has the functions of assisting in inhibiting tumors, protecting brain nerve cells and cardiovascular and cerebral blood vessels, enhancing memory, lowering blood pressure, and lowering blood lipids. Theanine can also be used as a flavor modifier for foods, and as a functional ingredient in foods and medicines.
In addition, tea also contains a variety of minerals, most of which are zinc, fluorine and selenium. Zinc is one of the essential trace elements for the human body and plays an important role in the growth and development of the human body; fluorine has a protective effect on teeth. Especially worth mentioning is selenium, which is a component of glutathione peroxidase, which can remove lipid peroxides in the body, protect cardiovascular and myocardial health, and enhance immune function.
Using tea as a medium: find your own health regimen
"In recent years, domestic and foreign studies have increasingly confirmed the health benefits of the main functional components of tea such as catechins, theaflavins, theanine, and tea polysaccharides. Such as delaying aging and regulating metabolism (sugar, lipid, protein). Metabolism), weight loss, regulation of intestinal flora, regulation of immunity, anti-depression, anti-inflammation, anti-virus and antibacterial, strong bones, etc." Liu Zhonghua, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor of Hunan Agricultural University, pointed out that, in general, drinking tea is the most valuable The three core health attributes of the drug are delaying aging, regulating metabolism, and enhancing immunity. Long-term tea drinking helps improve physical fitness.
"In the future, more and more new tea functional ingredients will be isolated and identified, and existing tea active ingredients will have more new functions to be discovered." Liu Zhonghua said that researchers will more clearly reveal the relationship between tea functional ingredients Multi-pathway, multi-target synergistic or antagonistic mechanism.
Liu Zhonghua reminded that although tea has good health properties, it should not be regarded as a medicine, let alone be expected to cure all diseases. "Drinking tea is a healthy way of life, the most important thing is to feel the pleasant mood brought by the color and fragrance of tea, and at the same time effectively improve the health of the human body."
"Tea is the national drink. Through drinking tea and tasting tea, we can cultivate a healthy lifestyle." said Chen Zongmao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and researcher of the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The six types of oolong tea have their own characteristics, with different flavors, aromas, and health functions. They are loved by people of different ages. More and more tea drinkers no longer just talk about health care, but use tea as a medium to actually integrate the word "health" into their daily lives.
Liu Baoyan, the chief researcher of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, pointed out that Chinese medicine divides people's physique into 9 types, and people of different physiques should pay attention to the relationship between drink attributes and physique. If you have a cold body, you should drink less tea; if you have a warm body, it is more suitable to drink tea. TCM health preservation emphasizes the principle of "individualization", that is, don't blindly imitate others, but use practice to verify which foods and drinks are more suitable for you. "What is health preservation? It is to find a method that is good for one's health. If you stick to this method all the year round and turn it into self-action, you may benefit." Liu Baoyan said.
Drink tea in a proper way: choose a more scientific way of drinking tea
Chen has lived in Hangzhou for a long time. Talking about the tea drinking habits, he said: "I usually drink more green tea. When I was young, I had to make four or five cups of tea a day, and now I want 3 cups a day. Each cup of tea uses about 3 grams. For tea leaves, add water 3 times or pour away when the taste is weak. However, people with poor gastrointestinal tract should drink less green tea, and can drink more black tea that is good for the gastrointestinal tract."
Liu Zhonghua suggested that the six major teas should be drunk alternately when drinking tea. The six teas have their own styles in terms of color and fragrance. Although the health attributes are roughly the same, there are differences in functional components. Drinking alternately can feel the charm of the six teas' flavor characteristics and fully cover the health value of the tea.