Tea's Health benefits are always the primary reason for drinking it. Why should we Drink tea? Why do regular tea drinkers look younger?
To talk about youth, let's start with aging. Aging, translated into English as “Aging,” is a natural phenomenon. The noun definition of aging is a comprehensive and complex physiological and pathological change process involving molecular, cellular, and organ function decline, which is a short term for changes in old age.
Aging is an inevitable law of any life process that cannot be resisted. Even emperors who wish for longevity cannot remain young forever. Although aging is terrifying and cannot be resisted, it can be delayed. Among the more than 300 theories or hypotheses explaining the mechanism of aging, the free radical theory is the most prominent.
What exactly are free radicals?
Free radicals are produced during human metabolism; they are essential to sustain life. Under normal circumstances, the production and clearance of free radicals in the body are in balance, making them harmless.
As age advances, the body's ability to clear free radicals decreases. Excess free radicals can cause lipid peroxidation, damage biological membranes, affect cell function, disrupt metabolism, and accelerate aging. Therefore, removing excess free radicals can delay aging and maintain youthfulness.
Who can maintain youthfulness and eliminate harmful free radicals? It is the antioxidants (antioxidants). These are substances that can eliminate oxygen free radicals, inhibit or eliminate oxidation reactions, and slow down their progression. Tea polyphenols are one type of antioxidant substance.
As early as the 1960s, Japanese scientists discovered that tea contains large amounts of potent antioxidant substances – tea polyphenols.
How do antioxidants eliminate harmful free radicals?
Scientific research indicates that this occurs primarily in the following ways:
① Antioxidants undergo chemical reactions that reduce the oxygen content in the reaction;
② They inhibit or weaken the activity of oxidase enzymes;
③ They can interrupt chain reactions in the oxidation process, disrupting the oxidation process;
④ They can sequester catalytic metal ions and substances that initiate oxidation reactions, thereby prolonging the induction period of oxidation and slowing down the reaction rate.
Why have tea polyphenols become stars in antioxidation and free radical elimination?
Tea polyphenols are a complex mixture of derivatives of polyphenolic compounds with different molecular weights and polarities. They possess a 2-benzopyran phenyl carbon skeleton with multiple ortho hydroxy groups on the phenolic ring, giving them common properties of phenolic compounds.
Tea polyphenols can be divided into four categories: flavanols (catechins), anthocyanidins (anthocyanins), flavonoids (flavones and flavonols), and condensed acids and condensed phenolic acids.
These polyphenolic substances have strong hydrogen-donating abilities. For example, the phenolic hydroxyl groups in catechins have hydrogen-donating capabilities. During oxidation, they generate o-quinones and biphenolic quinones, making them ideal natural antioxidants that shoulder the responsibility of antioxidation and free radical elimination in the body.
What kind of changes does regular tea drinking bring?
Regularly Drinking Tea over a long period can delay aging. For those who don't drink tea regularly, aging progresses at a normal pace, so regular tea drinkers naturally look younger!
Extensive studies have shown that tea polyphenols are not only natural and non-toxic antioxidants but also ideal natural medicines. They have biological activities such as free radical scavenging and antioxidation and are effective in inhibiting bacteria, antiviral effects, preventing and treating cancer, suppressing tumors, and preventing Cardiovascular diseases.
How can one effectively appear younger by drinking tea?
Drinking 2 to 3 cups of tea daily maintains sufficient levels of tea polyphenols in the body. You may not notice the process of antioxidation and free radical elimination, but maintaining the habit of daily tea consumption will subtly delay aging.
What is the best secret to looking younger? A balanced diet with adequate intake of antioxidants is crucial to maintain the balance between oxidation and antioxidation reactions in the body. For example, various fresh fruits and vegetables.
A youthful mindset, living your best life regardless of time and place, and being energetic every day can make you seem full of vitality. Stay away from harmful environments and reduce stress and burdens.
Drinking three cups of tea daily and persistently drinking tea can cultivate a good lifestyle habit and is the simplest approach.