9 Health Benefits of Juniper Berries

Have you ever tasted berries that aren't berries berries that are actually used as a spice? Are you still with me? Good, because I'm talking about antioxidant-rich and heart-healthy juniper berries.

Juniper berries traditionally have been used to detoxify the body and promote healthy digestion and skin health, among many other things. And the results definitely aren't all anecdotal. There are a large number of studies that reflect the incredible antioxidant and antibacterial potential of juniper berries. (That's probably why doctors used to sanitize medical equipment with them.)

Whether you're investigating the benefits of new essential oils or just want to understand how to benefit from juniper berries, I know you'll be excited to learn more.

What Are Juniper Berries?

Juniper berries actually aren't berries at all. They are female seed cones that come juniper plants a type of conifer (Pinophyta), which is a cone-bearing plant or tree. Juniper plants vary in appearance and can grow low and wide like a shrub or tall like a tree. Their uniquely fleshy, merged scales make them look like a berry, thus the name.

In addition to their slightly misleading name, juniper berries are also not a berry you would generally eat with breakfast, like blueberries (even though they're similar in size). Instead, juniper berries are often used as a bitter spice. In fact, they give gin its distinctive flavor. Juniper berries are officially the only spice to come from a conifer tree.

One of the major uses of these berries is in juniper berry essential oil. Known in folk medicine and some modern research as a natural antiseptic and antioxidant, the essential oil of juniper berries is a popular therapeutic oil. It's also one of the essential oils the FDA approves for limited internal use.

Nutritional Background

Because they aren't consumed like traditional berries, there isn't a lot of information on the caloric or vitamin content of juniper berries. However, just a little of the spice can add quite the bitter-citrus kick you're looking to add to any dish.

Long before they were used in food, the Greeks used juniper berries as medicine and stimulants for Olympic athletes.  Romans used them as a less expensive pepper substitute.

It's a good thing the juniper berry has been around for so long, because scientists are just now beginning to find out just how beneficial it can be as a natural remedy for various issues.

9 Benefits of Juniper Berries

1. Relieve oxidative stress and help prevent disease

One major benefit of juniper berries is the antioxidants they contain. Antioxidants help your body to prevent and fight disease because they relieve oxidative stress caused by too many free radicals in your system.

Juniper berries contain polyphenolic compounds known as bioflavonoids, or flavonoids. These compounds are what give fruits and vegetables (and a few other foods) their antioxidant loads. In particular, juniper berries have 87 distinct antioxidant compounds, according to one chemical assessment. These compounds seem to occur more often in ripe berries than in unripe varieties.

Perhaps most significantly, the activity of three extremely important antioxidants in the body is encouraged by juniper berries: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase.

Issues with SOD are linked to ALS, Down syndrome, cancers and lung issues. Catalase and SOD both protect against damage from peroxide within the body, while glutathione peroxidase does the same and is associated with helping to prevent and treat cancer and heart disease.

2. Natural antiseptic

The antibacterial and antifungal qualities of juniper berries have stood the test of time which is one reason that juniper berry essential oil is often suggested as a natural household cleaning agent. These berries have compelling effects on many strains of bacteria and fungi. In fact, at least one study suggested they could be part of treatment for skin and respiratory infections.

Juniper berry essential oil powerfully destroys candida fungus, which causes an infection responsible for a huge laundry list of side effects.

This essential oil has also been found to eliminate bacteria and reduce inflammation in the mouth as efficiently as chlorhexidine, a common dental drug, but without toxic side effects.

Some evidence suggests that juniper berry essential oil can also potentially kill bacteria that are resistant to common antibiotics.

An extract of Juniperus drupacea berries from Turkey showed significant antibacterial activity in lab tests against various cells, including the Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. (16) Staph infections cause skin infections and issues like boils, and they can sometimes lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, cellulitis or bone infection.

Research has shown that another possible use of juniper berries could be as an antioxidant in foods and beverages. In addition, an ethanol extract of these berries has shown significant antibacterial impact against Aspergillus niger, a black mold commonly found on spoiled food.

3. Improves skin conditions

A simple Google search reveals that one of the most common uses for juniper berries, specifically in essential oil form, is to treat skin issues like rash or eczema. The antioxidants they contain are probably one major reason this can be effective.

In an examination of how animal wounds healed when treated with juniper berry essential oil, researchers discovered that two cultivars of juniper berries displayed remarkable wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities. This suggests the ancient use of juniper berries as a skin healer has its roots in scientific fact.

From a lab study in South Korea, it also seems possible that juniper berry extract might be able to help treat skin pigmentation disorders like vitiligo.

The essential oil of juniper berries has also been used for some time to reduce the appearance of cellulite, a harmless cosmetic issue involving fatty deposits that are often found on the thighs, hips and buttocks.

4. May help improve digestion

Juniper berries have long been considered a digestive aid in folk medicine, but few studies have examined these effects at length. However, one study involving milk cows found that feeding the subjects juniper berry essential oil did result in improved digestive behavior.

Because they function as diuretics, juniper berries can help relieve bloating in some cases.

5. Aids restful sleep

Many natural health practitioners recommend juniper berry essential oil as a relaxant and believe it has a positive impact on brain chemistry, encouraging rest.

A study from Mie University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan investigated the effects of a therapeutic fragrance, including juniper berry essential oil as well as sandalwood, rose and orris, on insomniacs currently taking medication for the disorder.

Twenty-six of the 29 participants were able to decrease their medication and achieve restful sleep after diffusing the fragrance during the night, and 12 people discontinued their medication entirely by the end of the study.

6. May be useful against certain cancers

Many herbs and foods that have significant antioxidant activity are studied for their potential impact on diseases like cancer. So far, no human or animal trials have looked at juniper berry's anticancer potential.

However, in a lab setting, juniper berry essential oil or extract has been found to cause apoptosis (cell death) in a drug-resistant strain of leukemia, HepG2 (liver cancer) cells and p53 (neuroblastoma) cells.

7. Good for the heart

Probably also due in part to its antioxidant qualities, juniper berries can help to improve heart function. For example, juniper berry essential oil has been found to reduce high blood pressure in animal studies, related to the antioxidants it contains.  A similar study stated juniper berry's function as a natural diuretic (in its original or essential oil form) also contributes to its blood pressure-lowering activity.

One study in rats found that juniper berry extracts might be useful in lowering high triglycerides.

Juniper berries also function as an anticholinesterase agent. This is important for heart function because anticholinesterase agents (natural or pharmaceutical) help to build up acetylcholine in the nervous system, which in turn can slow heart action, lower blood pressure, increase blood flow and induce contractions of the heart.

Interestingly, the same agents are also used in some cases to treat digestive obstructions, myasthenia gravis and Alzheimer's disease. At present, no studies have been done to investigate the interaction of juniper berries with the latter two conditions.

8. Can be included as part of a diabetic diet plan

Like many of the others, studies connecting juniper berries with treatment for diabetes have been limited to lab and animal testing. The initial results, though, seem promising.

An ethanol extract and a tea of juniper berries seem to have the potential to reduce high blood sugar in diabetic rats.

Juniper berry essential oil also seems to limit the amount of malondialdehyde produced by animal bodies.  Although malondialdehyde's role in diabetes isn't understood entirely, its concentration is much higher in people with diabetes (and cancer).

9. May help treat leishmaniasis

It's possible that one novel use of juniper berries could be the treatment of the parasite that causes leishmaniasis, a disease commonly contracted in tropical regions and southern Europe. Lab tests showed very potent results of an extract of juniper berry against the parasite.

How to Find and Use Juniper Berries in Cooking

Many health food stores carry juniper berries in the spice section. These spicy, rich berries can be purchased either dried or fresh and whole or crushed. Many sources suggest they flavor meat dishes particularly well.

For the most pungent flavor, try crushing fresh berries before using them in a sauce or marinade. You may also try toasting them, but over-cooking will draw out the bitterness and make the berries inedible.

Like I mentioned, juniper berry essential oil is also a popular way to gain the benefits of juniper berries. As always, ensure you purchase only food-grade, 100 percent essential oil from reputable sellers.

Precautions

While juniper berries are generally safe for most people, there are some precautions and medicinal interactions to consider.

First, pregnant women should never consume juniper berries in whole or essential oil form as it may potentially cause damage to the unborn child or force uterine contractions. Juniper is also not recommended for those with poor kidney function.

It is possible to develop an allergic reaction to juniper berries, which could manifest with skin issues (like a rash) or breathing issues. If you experience any of those conditions after using juniper berries, discontinue use and consult your doctor immediately.

Juniper berries may also interact negatively with certain medications, according to a 2014 study. The berries seem to inhibit a drug metabolizing enzyme in the human body known as CYP3A4.  This enzyme metabolizes about half of the drugs on the pharmaceutical market, while the other half of medicines actually inhibit the enzyme.

There is a fairly extensive list of medications that could result in toxicity when taken in conjunction with juniper berries. If you are taking any medications, you should first consult with your doctor before using juniper berries or juniper berry essential oil.

Final Thoughts

Juniper berries are the aromatic cones from conifer trees used traditionally in many German recipes and to make juniper essential oil.

Because they have a large quantity of antioxidants, juniper berries have a long list of health benefits.

Consuming juniper berries can help to prevent major diseases, kill bacteria, improve the appearance of the skin, treat insomnia and even kill the parasite that causes leishmaniasis.

Juniper berries are also a worthwhile addition to the diet for people at risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

When purchasing juniper berries (or their oil), be sure to buy only from reputable sellers.

If you are pregnant or have decreased kidney function, you should not consume juniper berries.

People on medications should consult with their prescribing physician before eating juniper berries or using the essential oil, as it can interact negatively with medications activated by the CYP3A4 enzyme.

Paprika: The Antioxidant-Rich Spice that Fights Disease

Who knew a tablespoon of red powder could contain so much goodness? Meet paprika, the pepper-based spice that helps your body steer clear of disease.

Recently, it's been found that paprika not only helps your body fight inflammation and disease in general, but it may even have specific targeting to prevent and fight autoimmune conditions and certain cancers. Read further to find out more about these breakthrough discoveries and the benefits you can reap from the popular nightshade vegetable spice.

What Is Paprika?

Paprika is a ground, dry spice made from the larger (and usually red-tinted) varieties of peppers in the Capsicum annuum family. This group of peppers includes the sweet bell pepper, an extremely common paprika source, as well as spicier versions like chili peppers and cayenne.

From its discovery in the New World in the 1400s to the current use around the world of this handy ingredient, paprika has been much loved since entering the scene when explorers brought some home to Europe, Africa and Asia. Hungary currently produces what's widely known as the highest-quality paprika, and Hungarian chefs are famous for their preparation of goulash with paprika.

Nutrition Facts

Because of the variations in pepper cultivars, paprika nutrition can be very different from product to product. However, a few things are true about paprika. First, the red varieties in particular have a massive amount of vitamin A in just one tiny serving (one tablespoon is almost ¾ of the daily recommended intake). That’s nothing to shake your head at, as the antioxidant properties of vitamin A are many.

Secondly, paprika made from spicier peppers (most often the chili pepper) includes an important ingredient known as capsaicin. This nutrient is what gives spicy peppers their heat, and when it comes to health benefits, capsaicin is a key part of paprika's ability to prevent life-threatening diseases. However, although paprika made from bell peppers also has some incredible health benefits, there is no capsaicin in this sweet pepper variety.

One serving of paprika (one tablespoon) contains about:
20 calories
3.8 grams carbohydrates
1 gram protein
0.9 gram fat
2.5 grams fiber
3,560 international units vitamin A (71 percent DV)
0.3 milligram vitamin B6 (14 percent DV)
2 milligrams vitamin E (10 percent DV)
1.6 milligrams iron (9 percent DV)
4.8 milligrams vitamin C (8 percent DV)
5.4 microgram vitamin K (7 percent DV)
0.1 milligram riboflavin (7 percent DV)
1 milligram niacin (5 percent DV)
158 milligrams potassium (5 percent DV)

Health Benefits

1. Rich in Antioxidants

Perhaps the most impressive quality of paprika is the amount of antioxidant power it packs in just one serving. Peppers and products created from them have long been understood to have disease-fighting properties, due in large part to their ability to fight oxidative stress.

There are many antioxidants in paprika, including carotenoids, which are found to varying degrees in different types of paprika.  Carotenoids are a type of pigment found in many plants that serve the body as antioxidants, preventing damage from oxidative stress (caused by an overabundance of free radicals in the body) and helping the body fight disease. These are fat-soluble nutrients, meaning they're absorbed best when consumed alongside a healthy fat source, such as avocado.

The carotenoids commonly found in paprika are beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and lutein/zeaxanthin. Beta-carotene has many benefits, from skin protection to respiratory health to pregnancy support. The best-known benefit of beta-cryptoxanthin is the ability to lower inflammation in disorders such as arthritis. And, of course, lutein and zeaxanthin are known for their roles in the health of the eyes, helping fight off molecules that are known to cause damage that leads to conditions like macular degeneration.

In general, vitamin A is known for the way it decreases inflammation through antioxidant properties, and since inflammation is at the root of most diseases, getting enough of the nutrient is important in living a life that's free of disease. And that's just one of the paprika benefits.

2. Aids in Treatment for Autoimmune Conditions

A groundbreaking study conducted in 2016 found that capsaicin, the ingredient in chili peppers and other hot varieties that provide the heat like paprika may have incredible power against autoimmune conditions.

These often debilitating illnesses stem from the immune system attacking the host's body. Symptoms of autoimmune diseases affect brain, skin, mouth, lungs, sinus, thyroid, joints, muscles, adrenals and gastrointestinal tract functions.

However, while autoimmune disorders are not curable, this 2016 study found that capsaicin stimulates biological reactions consistent with the treatment of autoimmune disease. This could be an incredible new body of research in the search to find ways to treat disease by dietary means.

3. May Help Treat and Prevent Cancer

The capsaicin found in spicy paprika isn't useful in treating just one type of disease — it also has great potential in treating and/or preventing cancer. Operating in several different mechanisms, capsaicin seems to be responsible for altering signaling pathways that limit cancer growth and even suppress genes that tell tumors to increase in size.

In particular, one paprika benefit may be its ability to protect against gastric cancer. A 2012 study of gastric cancer states, Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths. Over 80 percent of patients diagnosed with this form of cancer die within a year of their diagnoses or recurrence of the disease.

The good news is that capsaicin has potent anti-inflammatory effects on the incidence of gastric cancer, as discovered in 2016 in early research out of Japan.

There are many natural cancer treatments that have been effective in aiding treatment, so if you're at risk of developing this disease, it's wise to use paprika as one ingredient in a cancer-prevention lifestyle.

4. Potentially Useful in the Treatment of Diabetes

Like many nutrient-rich foods and spices, paprika seems to have the potential to help regulate blood sugar levels and assist in treating diabetes. When patients with diabetes consume paprika containing capsaicin, they better process the digestion and processing of sugars in the blood.

In addition, women with diabetes also tend to birth babies too large for their gestational ages, and capsaicin supplementation decreases the incidence of this as well.

5. Good for the Eyes

Because of the large amount of antioxidants present in this spice, such as vitamin A, lutein and zeaxanthin, it's already clear that paprika benefits you by helping prevent diseases that damage your eyes.

In addition to these nutrients, the existence of vitamin B6 in paprika also helps keep your eyes healthy. People who consume high amounts of B6 see a slower onset of macular degeneration and other eye-related diseases, especially when consumed with large quantities of folate.

6. Keeps Your Heart Strong

Spicing up your life with paprika helps keep your heart and cardiovascular system in good shape. Vitamin B6 helps lower high blood pressure and heal damaged blood vessels. It even treats anemia by creating hemoglobin in the blood responsible for transporting oxygen through the bloodstream.

Paprika also contains capsanthin, which is touted, according to one study, as the main carotenoid in the spice. Little, however, is known about this antioxidant, especially in comparison to the other common antioxidants. As more research is done, one source found that capsanthin in paprika caused an increase in good HDL cholesterol, which is another way paprika can keep your cardiovascular system working well.



Paprika Interesting Facts

Until Christopher Columbus returned from the New World with his mistakenly named peppers (for example, the bell pepper), the people of Europe (and everywhere else but North America) had never even seen one of these curious plants that originated in Mexico. First used to decorate the gardens of European nobility, varieties of pepper eventually found their way to Turkey and, from there, to Hungary.

The word paprika is used in many non-English-speaking European countries to describe the pepper itself, although this is not the case in English, where it refers specifically to the red spice derived from dried peppers. According to the New World Encyclopedia, The first note mentioning red pepper in Szeged, Hungary dates back to 1748, with the word paprika in an account book.

Near the end of the 1800s more than 300 years after the first pepper plant was grown in Hungary paprika became a main part of Hungarian food preparation, although its earliest use there was for treatment of intermittent fever. Today, many claim the best paprika originates from the areas of southern Turkey where it's now cultivated.

Side Effects and Allergies

There are very few allergic reactions on record to paprika, but as with any food, allergies are a potential risk, especially in an environment where you work with and touch many different spices in short periods of time.

Therefore, use caution and contact your physician right away if you notice any allergy symptoms, such as swelling of the mouth or lips or contact dermatitis on your hands after eating and handling this spice.

Final Thoughts

Paprika is a (usually) red spice made from dried cultivars of peppers. It can be made from any type of pepper, which is why there is such a variety in the spiciness of different brands of the spice. This seasoning contains almost ¾ of the daily recommended value for vitamin A, along with other important antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Paprika has shown promise in the treatment of diabetes, cancer, autoimmune conditions and cardiovascular disease.

Your eyes will benefit from regular consumption because of the presence of eye-protecting antioxidants and vitamin B6.

The peppers used to create paprika originated in Mexico and were brought to Europe, Africa and Asia by explorers who found the curious plant delicious and intriguing.

By heating it in oil, you are able to release the full flavor profile.

This spice can be used in just about any kind of dish, from seafood to soup to rice and everything in between.

Pinto Beans Nutrition Benefits the Heart and May Help Fight Cancer

It's easy to make jokes about different types of beans and the effects they have on flatulence, but the focus should be on just how nutritious things like pinto beans can be for our health.

For instance, did you know that many types of beans, such as anasazi beans and pinto beans, are some of the top cancer-fighting foods around? It's true. But that's not all beans do. Pinto beans nutrition also benefits the heart and more.

What Are Pinto Beans?

Pinto beans are similar to the cranberry bean in appearance in their dried form, as they're beige in color with brown splotches and stripes that have given them their name pinto, which means painted in Spanish. However, once they're cooked, those creative-looking, paint-like splotches disappear, leaving the beans a solid brown color.

The Spanish call them frijol pinto, meaning speckled bean, but in South America, they're called poroto frutilla as a reference to what's known as the strawberry bean. Furthermore, Portugal calls them feijo catarino, and Brazil calls them feijo carioca, meaning mottled bean. In fact, Brazil has been cultivating this little nutrition-packed bean since 3000 BCE, making it a staple of most meals with rice, pasta, potatoes and yams.

The pinto bean is a variety of the common bean also known as the string bean. Typical ways of consuming the pinto bean are whole or refried, and they're the mainstay for a good burrito. Pinto beans are often used in a spicy stew called chili con carne, though kidney beans, black beans and many and others are used in this delicious stew as well.

Health Benefits

1. May Slow Tumor Growth

Pinto beans contain antioxidants called polyphenols, which may prevent some forms of cancer, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Pinto beans also contain kaempferol, which is a flavonoid known to help reduce inflammation. These beneficial antioxidants may slow the growth of tumors while increasing the survival rate of much-needed healthy cells.

Studies have found benefits of eating foods that contain kaempferol include reducing the risk of developing cancer. This is the result of the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties making the pinto bean a great food for possibly preventing, and even treating, some diseases, even potentially cancer.

2. Reduce Heart Disease Risks

Pinto beans may be helpful in reducing cholesterol levels and therefore the risk for heart disease. By having about a half cup of pinto beans on a daily basis, studies published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition show that it can help reduce your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels.

This works by replacing a protein source that's high in fat with pinto beans, which have almost no fat. The increase in dietary fiber consumption can also help lower your cholesterol, ultimately reducing the risk for developing heart disease as a powerful cholesterol-lowering food.

3. Potentially Help Lower Risk of Breast Cancer

The American Academy of Pediatrics studied premenopausal women who were asked to complete a dietary questionnaire dating back to adolescent years. The study reveals that those women who had more total dietary fiber intake at an earlier age through adulthood were associated with significantly lower breast cancer risks, suggesting that a high-fiber diet during adolescence and early adulthood may be particularly important.

Digging a little deeper, sex steroid hormone levels are known to be strongly related to breast cancer development. A diet high in fiber is thought to reduce the risk of breast cancer by inhibiting reabsorption of estrogen.

4. Fight Diabetes

With the rise in obesity, diabetes is a growing concern. Pinto beans may offer some help, not only in reducing the risk, but in helping keep blood sugar levels in check. The complex carbohydrates that pinto beans contain are useful due to a slower digestion process. This can increase fullness and satiety and help regulate glucose and insulin levels. Additionally, the fiber they contain can help reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, which affects glucose levels, making pinto beans the perfect addition to any diabetic diet plan.

According to recent research, subjects with type 2 diabetes were placed in a high-legume diet of about one cup per day. After three months, there was a notable decrease in hemoglobin A1c, indicating a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes.

5. Provide Beneficial Fiber

While pinto beans provide protein in our diets, they're great at providing fiber too, something most U.S. diets lack. The Harvard School of Public Health suggests that children and adults consume about 20 to 30 grams of fiber per day; however, most in the U.S. get only about 15 grams a day. Fiber aids in relieving constipation and may reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Nutrition Facts

One cup of raw, mature pinto beans contain about:
670 calories
121 grams carbohydrates
41.3 grams protein
2.4 grams fat
29.9 grams fiber
1,013 micrograms folate (253 percent DV)
2.2 milligrams manganese (111 percent DV)
1.4 milligrams thiamin (92 percent DV)
1.7 milligrams copper (86 percent DV)
340 milligrams magnesium (85 percent DV)
793 milligrams phosphorus (79 percent DV)
2,689 milligrams potassium (77 percent DV)
53.8 micrograms selenium (77 percent DV)
9.8 milligrams iron (54 percent DV)
0.9 milligram vitamin B6 (46 percent DV)
4.4 milligrams zinc (29 percent DV)
0.4 milligram riboflavin (24 percent DV)
218 milligrams calcium (22 percent DV)
12.2 milligrams vitamin C (20 percent DV)
10.8 micrograms vitamin K (14 percent DV)
2.3 milligrams niacin (11 percent DV)

Beans are pretty important crops with the global harvest estimated at 18.7 million tons and grown in about 150 countries on approximately 27.7 million hectares. Folk medicine claims beans as a natural remedy for acne, bladder problems, burns, heart conditions, diabetes, diarrhea, diuretic issues, eczema, hiccups, rheumatism and sciatica.

What's known as the wild common bean, scientifically labeled as Phaseolus vulgaris, still grows today in the Andes and Guatemala. However, pinto beans, as well as the great northern bean and small red and pink beans, are mainly found in Durango in the central Mexican highlands. It's unclear as to the exact date of the domestication of beans, though evidence dates back to archaeological as far as 10,000 years ago in Argentina and 7,000 years ago in Mexico.

Most U.S. dry beans are produced for human consumption as an important staple crop. However, they’re also used as animal feed in other parts of the world. Currently, the United States is the sixth-leading producer of dry edible beans with approximately 20 percent of U.S. dry bean supplies making their way to the export market, which is nearly 14 percent of the domestic dry bean consumption.

The U.S. produces many kinds of dry edible beans with pinto beans as the leading variety at about 42 percent. Black beans hit at about 11 percent, while the garbanzo bean, or chickpea, comes in at 5 percent.

Risks and Side Effects

Pinto beans are famous for causing intestinal discomfort and flatulence, which can happen due to the large amounts of fiber and a sugar they contain called oligosaccharide. This sugar is difficult to break down during the digestion process and usually does not break down until it gets to the large intestine, where useful bacteria live. It's this process that produces the often annoying and uncomfortable gas.

To help minimize the gas-causing properties of beans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests soaking dried beans in water and changing the water a few times. Canned pinto beans are known to produce less intestinal gas — however, make sure you rinse them to help reduce the high amounts of salt they usually contain. There are some over-the-counter enzymes that may help. Check with your doctor to see what's best.

Another risk that you should be aware of is the iodine. For those suffering from thyroid cancer, it's common that radiation is part of the treatment process. The Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association notes that pinto beans are iodine-rich foods, and consuming excess iodine during treatment may reduce the effectiveness of the radiation.

Final Thoughts

Pinto beans are easy to make and can go in just about anything from salads to burritos and wraps as well as soups. The nutritional and health benefits are phenomenal, including possible reduction in tumor growth, lowering blood sugar levels that can greatly help diabetics, reducing breast cancer risks and heart disease risks, all while offering beneficial fiber.

So if you're looking for a nutrient-packed superfood without the added fat, try out some pinto bean recipes today.

Sorghum Flour: The High-Fiber, Gluten-Free Ancient Grain

Sorghum is an ancient cereal grain that originated in parts of Africa and Australia more than 5,000 years ago! The sorghum plant, a member of the grass plant family called Panicoideae, still provides nutrients and much-needed calories to impoverished populations living in these areas. In fact, it's considered the fifth-most important cereal crop grown in the world, according to the Whole Grains Council, and the third most important within the United States.

Because of its versatility as a food source, animal feed and bio-available fuel, today sorghum grain is widely grown in the U.S. One of its growing commercial uses is in the gluten-free flour space, where it's both included in store-bought flour blends or sold on its own as sorghum flour.

Why Sorghum Flour Makes a Great Addition to Recipes

Sorghum is an ancient, 100 percent whole grain kernel that is ground into a fine flour that can be used in various ways for cooking and baking. While historically it's taken a backseat in the U.S. to grain alternatives and sandwich substitutes like corn, quinoa or potatoes, the growing knowledge of gluten sensitivities and the gluten-free diet trend in recent years have now brought sorghum flour into the spotlight.

Sorghum flour which is beige or white in color, considered to be sweet, softly textured and mild-tasting is now a popular ingredient found in many health food stores and large supermarkets. While it's still hard to find 100 percent whole grain sorghum grains in most stores, most well-stocked major grocery stores now sell gluten-free flour blends, including sorghum flour, that are convenient, healthy and perfect for baking and other uses.

Sorghum Flour Nutrition

Like other whole grains, sorghum (which has the scientific name Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is impressive when it comes to its nutrient content, adding a good dose of protein, iron, B vitamins and dietary fiber to recipes. Sorghum flour is also surprisingly high in antioxidants like phenolic compounds and anthocyanin, which help reduce inflammation and lower free radical damage.

1/4 cup of sorghum flour has about:
120 calories
1 gram fat
25 grams carbohydrates
3 grams fiber
0 grams sugar
4 grams protein
110 milligrams phosphorus (10 percent DV)
1.68 milligrams iron (8 percent DV)
1.1 milligrams niacin (6 percent DV)
0.12 milligram thiamine (6 percent DV)

5 Benefits of Sorghum Flour

1. Gluten-Free and Non-GMO

Sorghum is an excellent substitute for wheat flour, and sorghum flour makes a great baking ingredient for anyone who cannot tolerate gluten. While the protein gluten can cause digestive and other health issues for many people including bloating, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, headaches and other symptoms — gluten-free sorghum flour tends to be easier to digest and tolerate.

Aside from avoiding gluten, there's another important benefit to using sorghum flour over wheat flour and certain gluten-free blends: avoiding genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). Unlike corn and some wheat crops, sorghum grains are grown from traditional hybrid seeds that combine several types of sorghum grasses. This is a natural method that has been used for centuries and does not require biotechnology, making it nontransgenic (non-GMO food) that doesn't come with the same risks. Why is this an important point? Genetically modified foods are now being linked to worsened allergies, learning disabilities, digestive issues and inflammation.

2. High in Fiber

One of the biggest benefits of eating whole grains is that they retain all of their dietary fiber, unlike refined grains that are processed to remove parts like their bran and germ. Sorghum actually doesn't have an inedible hull like some other grains, so even its outer layers commonly are eaten. This means it supplies even more fiber, in addition to many other crucial nutrients, and has a lower glycemic index.

High-fiber foods are important for digestive, hormonal and cardiovascular health. The high fiber content of sorghum flour also makes it stick to your ribs longer than some other refined flours or flour substitutes, so you experience less of a crash after eating recipes made with sorghum.

3. Good Source of Antioxidants

There are several types of sorghum plants, some of which are high in antioxidants that are tied to reduced risks of developing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and some neurological diseases. Antioxidants are found in anti-inflammatory foods, and they help scavenge free radicals that, when left uncontrolled, can lead to inflammation, aging and various illnesses. Sorghum is a rich source of various phytochemicals, including tannins, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, phytosterols and policosanols — which means sorghum and sorghum flour might offer similar health benefits as eating whole foods such as fruits.

A 2004 study published in the Journal of Argicultural Food Chemistry found that anthocyanin antioxidants are present in black, brown and red sorghum grains. Antioxidant activity and pH stability were found in sorghum at levels three to four times higher than certain other whole grains. Black sorghum is especially considered a high-antioxidant food and had the highest anthocyanin content of all in the study.

Sorghum grains also have a natural, waxy layer that surrounds the grain and contains protective plant compounds, such as the type called policosanol, which research suggests has positive implications for cardiac health. Policosanols have shown cholesterol-lowering potential in human studies, sometimes even comparable to that of statins! The policosanol present in sorghum flour makes it a potential cholesterol-lowering food.

Other research shows great potential for phenolic compounds found in sorghum to help with arterial health, fighting diabetes and even preventing cancer. Mainly located in the bran fraction, phenolics result in the plant having substantial antioxidant properties and non-enzymatic processes that help fight pathogenesis at the root of many diabetic complications and cell mutations.

4. Slowly Digested and Balances Blood Sugar

Because sorghum flour is low on the glycemic index, plus high in starch, fiber and protein, it takes longer than other similar refined-grain products to digest. This slows down the rate at which glucose (sugar) is released into the bloodstream, which is particularly helpful for anyone with blood sugar issues such as diabetes. Sorghum also helps fill you up and prevents spikes and dips in blood sugar levels that can lead to moodiness, fatigue, cravings and overeating.

Impressively, certain varieties of sorghum brans that have a high phenolic content and high antioxidant status have been shown to inhibit protein glycation, which suggests that they can affect critical biological processes that are important in diabetes and insulin resistance. One study conducted by the Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Georgia suggests a nutraceutical rationale for human consumption of sorghum as a natural way to lower diabetes incidences through better control over glycation and other diabetes risk factors.

5. Helps Fight Inflammation, Cancer and Heart Disease

Eating a whole foods-based diet that is high in available phytochemicals is consistenly linked to better protection from common nutrition-related diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease and obesity. So it’s no surprise that epidemiological evidence suggests that sorghum consumption reduces the risk of certain types of cancer in humans compared to other cereals. The high concentration of anti-inflammatory phytochemical antioxidants in sorghum are partly responsible, as is the high fiber and plant-based protein content, all of which make it a potential cancer natural remedy.

Sorghum contains tannins that are widely reported to reduce caloric availability and can help fight obesity, weight gain and metabolic complications. Sorghum phytochemicals also help promote cardiovascular health, which is critical considering that cardiovascular disease is currently the leading killer in the U.S. and developed world in general!



History of Sorghum and Sorghum Flour

Sorghum, also sometimes referred to in studies as sorghum bicolor (the plant species), has been an important food source for centuries. The plant is considered durable, yields high amounts when harvested and stands up to heat well, making it a valuable crop in times of droughts. This is one reason why grains like sorghum have been staples for poor and rural people for thousands of years, especially those living in tropical regions like Africa, Central America and South Asia.

The earliest known record of sorghum comes from an archaeological dig site at Nabta Playa, near the Egyptian-Sudanese border, dating back to about 8,000 B.C. After originating in Africa, sorghum grains spread through the Middle East and Asia via ancient trade routes. Travelers brought dried sorghum grains to parts of the Arabian Peninsula, India and China along the Silk Road. Many years later, the first known record of sorghum in the United States comes from Ben Franklin in 1757, who wrote about how the grains could be used to make brooms!

Sorghum goes by many names around the globe: milo in parts of India, guinea corn in West Africa, kafir corn in South Africa, dura in Sudan, mtama in eastern Africa, jowar in other areas of India and kaoliang in China. Historically, aside from being grown to make edible sorghum grains or flour, the grain has also been used to make sorghum syrup, (also called sorghum molasses), animal feed, certain alcoholic beverages and even energy-efficient biofuels.

Around the world, some of the ways that sorghum is commonly consumed is to make leavened and unleavened flatbreads called jowar roti in India, porridge eaten for breakfast or couscous served with dinner in Africa, and a flour used to thicken stews in parts of the Pacific Islands. Sorghum is also used to make both various fermented and unfermented beverages or simply consumed as a fresh vegetable in some areas of the world.

Aside from its culinary uses for human consumption, sorghum is also considered an important livestock feed in the U.S., not to mention it has promising eco-friendly uses for providing sustainable and natural energy. In recent years, sorghum's use in the ethanol market has grown rapidly, with estimates showing that today about 30 percent of domestic sorghum is now going to ethanol production.

How to Use Sorghum Flour

Look for 100 percent sorghum flour that hasn't been bleached, enriched or refined. Ground sorghum flour can be used just like other gluten-free grains to make homemade baked goods like bread, muffins, pancakes and even beer! In the United States, it's becoming more common to find sorghum flour in store-bought or commercially sold gluten-free baked goods, but making your own is always the best option. This lets you cut back on preservatives, sugar and any artificial thickening agents that are commonly used in packaged products.

When making recipes that call for wheat flour (such as when you're baking cakes, cookies, breads and muffins), unbleached sorghum can be added or substituted for part of the regular flour or gluten-free flour blends. On top of providing nutrients and more fiber, an added benefit is that unlike some gluten-free flours (like rice flour or corn flour, for example), which can sometimes be crumbly, dry or gritty, sorghum flour usually has a smoother texture and a very mild taste. It's easy to incorporate some into sweet recipes or to use a small amount to thicken stews, sauces and other savory recipes.

Most experts recommend adding between 15 percent to 30 percent sorghum flour to your recipes to replace other flours (like wheat flour). Using 100 percent sorghum isn't usually the best idea because it won't rise as well as lighter flours. It works best when combined with other gluten-free flour like rice or potato starch. You'll likely get the best results if you start with recipes that use relatively small amounts of flour in general, like brownies or pancakes, for example, rather than muffins or bread.

Keep in mind that without gluten to bind together ingredients and add to the texture of recipes, it's a good idea to incorporate a binder such as xanthan gum or cornstarch to add stretch. You can add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of sorghum flour for cookies and cakes, and one teaspoon per cup for breads. Adding slightly more oil or fat (such as coconut oil or grass-fed butter) and extra eggs to recipes prepared with sorghum blends can improve the moisture content and texture. Another trick is to use apple cider vinegar, which can also improve the volume of doughs made with gluten-free blends.

Are There Any Side Effects or Concerns with Using Sorghum Flour?

While sorghum is definitely a major step up from eating refined grain products, keep in mind that grains of all kinds are not best for everyone. For many people, eating grains (and beans, legumes, nuts and seeds too) is problematic when it comes to digestion and can contribute to disease-causing inflammation. One reason is that all grains naturally contain antinutrients that block some of the grain's minerals and vitamins from being absorbed and utilized properly.

One way to overcome this challenge partially is to sprout grains. A major benefit of sprouting is that it unlocks beneficial digestive enzymes, which make all types of grains, seeds, beans and nuts easier on the digestive system. This also helps increase beneficial flora levels in the gut so you experience less of an autoimmune type of reaction when you eat these foods.

Even after sprouting sorghum or other grains, it's best to have them in small amounts and to vary your diet. Get your nutrients, carbohydrates, fiber and protein from a variety of sources like vegetables (including starchy veggies), fruits, grass-fed animal products, probiotic foods and raw dairy products.

Cannellini Beans Benefit the Heart, Skin and Blood Sugar

If these beans are a musical fruit, it's because they're music to your ears! If you haven't tried the hearty taste of cannellini beans, it's time to.

Beans such as cannellini are an incredible part of a healthy diet because they provide you with a high protein and fiber content without overloading a meal with calories. A part of the legume family, cannellini beans are most often found dried and can be used in a broad variety of dishes. Nutritionally, they're impressively effective in aiding weight loss and even potentially preventing certain cancers.

To find out why these are such a staple in many countries around the world, keep reading and fall in love with creamy cannellini beans.

What Are Cannellini Beans?

Cannellini beans are part of the Phaseolus vulgaris classification of beans, which also includes green beans, navy beans and a long list of others. When you begin researching cannellini beans, you'll find they go by many names, including white kidney beans, Italian kidney beans, northern beans or fasolia beans. Specifically, they belong to the kidney bean family.

For centuries, cannellini beans have been extremely popular in Italian cuisine. They're about half an inch long with a traditional kidney shape and tough seed coat. Most of the time, cannellini beans are found dried.

Health Benefits

1. Help You Lose Weight

Many common bean varieties are well-known for their role in weight loss. One reason for this is that they act as alpha amylase inhibitors. These inhibitors stop your body from absorbing carbohydrates quickly by blocking the enzymes responsible for their digestion.

The white bean (another name for cannellini beans) has been used to develop a weight loss supplement known as Phase 2. Researchers from Medicus Research LLC in California found that this supplement caused no serious side effects and successfully helped participants lose weight. The participants blood sugar noticeably did not spike after meals in the same way as those taking the placebo.

Further research published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences also indicates that similar supplements and extracts from the white bean are responsible for other body changes, such as a reduction in body mass index and reduced body fat, while maintaining lean body mass.

On a very practical note, cannellini beans have a very low calorie count while increasing satiety (the feeling of being full). This makes them a great addition to the diet of anyone desiring to lose weight.

2. Regulate Blood Sugar Levels

I already mentioned in the study above that scientists discovered a drop in blood sugar in study participants taking a white bean extract supplement. Additional research has also been conducted on the ability of cannellini beans to help maintain healthy, normal blood sugar levels. Healthy amounts of blood sugar are common, as a spike in blood sugar is commonly one of the symptoms of diabetes, a destructive disease that impacts more than 3 million people each year in the U.S. alone.

The amylase inhibitor in cannellini beans can help fight this. Various studies have been done on their role in blood sugar levels, including a 2006 study on diabetic and non-diabetic rats. According to this and other research, orally administered doses of the amylase inhibitor from white beans was extremely effective in reducing blood sugar levels and regulating elevated disaccharidase levels, enzymes that break down into sugar.

Cannellini beans also help reduce the risk of diabetes because of their fiber content. Although the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber is between about 25 to 38 grams (depending on gender and body mass), only about 5 percent of people in the U.S. consume as much fiber as they should each day.

However, proper fiber consumption is vital to the prevention of disease, including diabetes. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics highly recommends a high-fiber diet including whole grains, legumes (beans), veggies, fruits and nuts in order to help prevent disease.

3. Contribute to a Healthy Heart

The study I just mentioned also includes heart disease on the list of diseases a high-fiber diet can help prevent. Another large analysis of studies involving more than 672,000 participants found that high fiber intake is very closely linked to the prevention of coronary heart disease.

The alpha amylase inhibitor extract of white beans also have various heart-healthy effects, including the reduction of triglycerides. These fat cells found in your blood are produced when your body has calories that it doesn't have to use for energy right away. Your body stores the triglycerides in fat cells, and then hormones trigger their release when you need more energy.

It's an efficient system, but if you consistently consume more calories than you ever burn, triglycerides build up in the bloodstream and increase your risk of heart disease. In the first in a series of studies on the impact of this white bean extract, researchers found that not only was weight loss achieved, but triglyceride levels also dropped in subjects taking the supplement.

Another way these dry beans help protect your heart is by lowering LDL cholesterol levels (considered bad cholesterol). It's very possible to regulate your cholesterol levels by eating a healthy diet, and it's much safer than dangerous medications many doctors may prescribe, all of which have significant side effects.

Other beans in the Phaseolus vulgaris classification have shown preliminary results in helping reduce high blood pressure. As many of the beans in this group have similar health benefits, it's possible that cannellini beans could play a role in lowering blood pressure as well (although this has not yet been proven).

4. May Help Fight Cancer

Like all Phaseolus vulgaris beans, cannellini beans have a high level of antioxidants, fighting the oxidative stress caused by free radicals you encounter in your diet and environment. (9) They also contain polyphenols, a type of antioxidant commonly known for decreasing the risk for heart disease and cancer, making cannellini beans potential cancer-fighting foods.

While research is limited on the exact content of antioxidants in cannellini beans, they're very closely related to navy beans, which contain one of the highest levels of antioxidants of dry beans in their class. Specifically, navy beans (and by extension, cannellini beans) contain ferulic acid, which is known for its role in fighting cancer.

Ferulic acid has shown promising impact in therapeutic treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer, causing apoptosis (cell death) of hepatoma cells. The same study also found caffeic acid, an antioxidant found in many healthy foods (and coffee), to have similar effects. Ferulic acid also has the ability to inhibit the growth of some types of breast cancer cells.

5. Protect from Skin Damage

Antioxidants in cannellini beans also play a role in protecting your skin. Because of the way it protects against oxidative stress, ferulic acid helps prevent sun damage. In fact, when added to a topical solution of vitamins C and E in a study conducted at the Duke University Medical Center, ferulic acid doubled the protection sunblock offered and greatly reduced the amount of skin cell death when exposed to excessive UV rays.

Because one in five people develop skin cancer at some point in their lives, it's important to protect your skin from damage caused by the sun and many chemicals you're regularly exposed to.

6. Good for Crohn's Disease Patients

Surprisingly, another benefit of the high fiber content of cannellini beans may be the ability to benefit Crohn's disease sufferers. While it has long been believed that a high-fiber diet is undesirable in the treatment of Crohn's, recent research indicates that plant-based dietary fiber may actually help treat this disease.

So it's a good idea to include cannellini beans and other high-fiber foods in any Crohn's disease diet treatment plan.

Nutrition Facts

The best thing about these great beans is that they're a valuable source of several nutrients, including almost 25 percent of the daily recommended fiber intake. Between that and their high antioxidant load, cannellini beans are a delicious and nutritious way to eat Italian.

One serving of white cannellini beans (about a half cup) contains about:
90 calories
19 grams carbohydrates
7 grams protein
6 grams fiber
80 milligrams calcium (8 percent DV)
270 milligrams potassium (7.7 percent DV)
Cannellini Beans vs. Black-Eyed Peas

If you're wondering how cannellini beans compare to other beans nutritionally, one similar bean they're often compared to is the black-eyed pea.

Both of these beans are rich in fiber content, helping with digestion, feeling full and weight loss.

They're each potassium-rich foods, one of the qualities that makes both of these beans so heart-healthy.

Black-eyed peas, unlike cannellini beans, contain a lot of vitamin A (valuable, in part, for its role in skin and eye health), while cannellini contains none. However, cannellini beans have a significant amount of antioxidants, which can help protect skin and eyes in different ways.

Both cannellini beans and black-eyed peas take an average of 45 minutes to prepare.

Cannellini Beans Interesting Facts

Cannellini beans, as part of the larger bean family, originated in South America, most likely in Peru or Argentina. Like all beans, they were imported to Europe in the 15th century by Spanish explorers. Beans are a high source of protein and fiber while maintaining a low calorie count, and they're inexpensive to buy. They're also staple items in many parts of Asia, Europe and North America.

Today, cannellini beans are commercially produced almost exclusively in Italy and used in a variety of popular Italian dishes, such as minestrone, pasta e fagioli, and a common side dish of bean stew with garlic and rosemary. Residents of Tuscany have been affectionately nicknamed mangiafagioli, which means bean eaters.

Side Effects and Allergies

As with all foods, cannellini beans can potentially cause allergic reactions in rare cases. However, they have no known side effects otherwise and are not known to interact negatively with any medications.

Final Thoughts

Cannellini beans are most popular in Italy and are a vital part of several traditional Italian dishes. Mostly purchased dry and cooked by soaking in water overnight, cannellini beans have a nutty, earthy flavor and are creamy and savory.

Eating these beans can help you lose weight because of the way they inhibit your body from absorbing excess carbohydrates.

The antioxidant content of cannellini beans allows them to keep your heart healthy while also protecting your eyes.

Cannellini effectively regulates blood glucose levels.

Beans like cannellini are recommended as a regular part of a healthy diet to avoid several chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Black Tea Benefits the Heart, Digestion and Stress Levels

Tea is actually the most consumed beverage worldwide after water so it's quite likely you may be acquiring black tea benefits already on a regular basis. But is black tea good for you? Loaded with antioxidants called polyphenols that protect human cells from hazardous free radical damage, it definitely makes the list of one of my top anti-aging foods.

Plus, black tea has been linked with improved mental alertness, lower ovarian cancer risk, and a possible decreased likelihood of developing Parkinson's disease, diabetes and heart disease.

While it's typically consumed black and hot in the East, in the West it's often consumed cold with lemon as iced tea or hot with milk and a sweetener like sugar or honey. Some varieties that may ring a bell include English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast.

You may also be familiar with Earl Grey, which is a black tea with bergamot essential oil, or chai tea, which combines a variety of spices with black tea.

Today, it is by far the most popular of the tea varieties, and it's commonly consumed daily in Western as well as South Asian countries like Sri Lanka and India. So we definitely know it has a lot of fans, but how healthy is black tea?

What Is Black Tea?

Black tea comes from the young leaves and leaf buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Black, white and green tea are all derived from this same tea plant. What sets them apart is how the leaves are treated after picking. Black tea is more oxidized than oolong, green and white teas, which also makes it more strong in flavor.

It's also the highest in caffeine of the varieties. The caffeine content of brewed black tea is considered moderate, typically averaging around 42 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounces, but it can be anywhere between 14 and 70 milligrams.

There are different grades of black. Whole leaf is the highest grade and has a very small amount or even no changes to the tea leaf. These highest grade black teas are called orange pekoe. Pekoe tea is then further classified according to how many of the adjacent young leaves (two, one or none) were picked along with the leaf buds. The highest-quality pekoe tea only contains the hand-picked leaf buds.

The lower grade black teas consist of broken leaves, fannings and dust. The black tea you find in tea bags is most often dust and fannings, which allow for a quicker brew but also a stronger, harsher taste. Whole leaf teas tend to be less harsh and more floral.

Nutrition Facts

All black tea is made from oxidized tea leaves or, in other words, tea leaves that were allowed to wilt and brown after they were picked. This oxidation causes the formation of theaflavins and thearubigins, which are compounds that are responsible for it's color and taste, and also its possible health benefits.

One cup of brewed black tea contains about:
2 calories
0.7 carbohydrates
0.5 milligrams manganese (26 percent DV)
11.9 micrograms folate (3 percent DV)

Black tea's ORAC score of 1,128 is also quite impressive. ORAC stands for oxygen radical absorbance capacity, and this is a way of measuring the antioxidant content of food and beverages, which was developed by the National Institutes of Health. Black tea benefits are definitely directly related to this high antioxidant content.

Health Benefits

1. Boosts Heart Health

There have been numerous studies revealing black tea's positive impact on heart health. A study published in 2017 looked at the effects of tea consumption on the risk of ischaemic heart disease. The study looked at more than 350,000 men and women between the ages of 30 and 79 from 10 areas in China.

When the researchers followed up about seven years later, they found that consumption of tea was associated with a reduced risk of ischaemic heart disease as well as a lower risk of major coronary events (like a heart attack).

Another study compared black tea (without additives) drinkers to plain hot water drinkers for a period of 12 weeks. It contained high amounts of flavan-3-ols, flavonols, theaflavins and gallic acid derivatives. The researchers found that daily consumption of nine grams of black tea resulted in a highly significant decrease of cardiovascular risk factors, including triglyceride levels and fasting serum glucose.

There was also a significant decrease in the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol as well as an increase in HDL (healthy) cholesterol levels. Overall, the researchers conclude that drinking black tea within a normal diet leads to a decrease in major cardiovascular risk factors, and it also boosts antioxidant levels in humans.

2. May Help Fight Cancer

Cancer fighter is also on the list of black tea benefits, as consumption has been linked with the reduction of certain types of cancer. For starters, a 2013 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology investigated the effects of consuming flavonoid-rich black tea on prostate cancer risk in over 58,000 men in the Netherlands who provided detailed baseline information on several cancer risk factors.

Black tea is considered a major source of health-promoting flavonoids like catechin, epicatechin, kaempferol and myricetin. The study revealed that increased flavonoid and black tea intake was linked to a lower risk of advanced stage prostate cancer. However, no associations were observed for overall and earlier stages of prostate cancer.

Another promising study published in 2016 showed how the theaflavin-3 found in black tea had a very strong ability to stop the growth of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. A highly impressive finding since cisplatin is said to be one of the most effective broad-spectrum anticancer drugs. In addition, the theaflavin-3 was less toxic to the healthy ovarian cancer cells, which is awesome since many conventional anticancer drugs kill both cancerous and healthy cells.

3. Helps Reduce Risk of Diabetes

Diabetes is an ever-growing chronic health problem around the world. A study published in the journal Diabetologia wanted to look at tea (and coffee) consumption in relationship to the development of type 2 diabetes. The study involved 40,011 participants, and at the mean follow-up time of 10 years, the researchers found that 918 subjects had developed type 2 diabetes.

They also found that drinking both tea and coffee was linked with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. Specifically, consumption of at least three cups of tea or coffee per day reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by about 42 percent. This makes black tea beneficial as part of a diabetic diet plan.

4. Potentially Staves Off Strokes

A meta-analysis published in 2009 found that drinking black or green tea daily may prevent ischemic stroke. Specifically, the researchers found that regardless of what country the subjects came from, the people who drank the equivalent of three or more cups of tea each day had an overall 21 percent lower risk of stroke as compared to the subjects who drank less than one cup daily.



5. Relieves an Upset Stomach

If you have an upset stomach and are experiencing diarrhea, then one nice strong cup of black tea may be just the answer. The tannins present have a helpful astringent effect on the intestinal lining, which can help calm inflammation in the intestines and get the diarrhea under control.

If you're concerned you're dehydrated, you can opt for decaffeinated black tea. A 2016 study showed that in 2- to 12-year-old patients with acute nonbacterial diarrhea, black tea tablets were not only an effective, but also a safe and inexpensive way to help manage diarrhea not caused by bacteria.

6. Holds Antibacterial Ability

Black tea isn't just a tasty beverage hot or cold it also possesses potent antibacterial and antioxidant powers. Research has shown that it's phenolic compounds as well as its tannins have the ability to inhibit some types of bacteria. In addition, the non-polymeric phenolic compounds are able to be absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, making these bacteria-killing components of black tea orally active.

Black tea consumed with honey has also been shown to specifically kill H. pylori bacteria, which can prevent all kinds of unwanted symptoms of a H. pylori, infection including ulcers.

7. Lowers Stress Hormones

This is definitely one of my favorite black tea benefits. While coffee is known for getting some people a little too energetic, tea has a reputation for being more of a balanced caffeine source and even a relaxation beverage that can work as a stress reliever. Research has shown that it can actually help its drinkers better recover from the common daily stresses of life by bringing stress hormones, like cortisol, back down.

In one study, 75 healthy male tea drinkers with an average age of 33 all gave their usual caffeinated beverages and were split into two groups. For the following six weeks, one group consumed a fruit-flavored caffeinated black tea mixture containing the active ingredients found in a cup of tea while the other group drank a beverage that tasted the same and had the same level of caffeine yet did not contain any other active tea components.

The subjects then underwent stress-inducing situation similar to what they would experience in normal life. Researchers kept track of their stress hormone and blood pressure levels as well as their heart rates and self-reported stress levels.

What did they find? The tasks were definitely stress-inducing according to all of the monitored health variables, yet 50 minutes after the stressor took place, the real black tea drinking group experienced a lowering of their cortisol levels that was noticeably lower in comparison to the fake tea drinkers. The real tea consumers also had their sense of relaxation rise after the stressful event compared to the fake group.

And to add one more positive result of this study — black tea drinkers had lower blood platelet activation, which is involved in blood clot formation, which raises the risk of heart attack.

Additional Benefits

These are some doses of black tea by mouth that have been shown to be beneficial in scientific research for the following health concerns:

Headaches and mental alertness: up to 250 milligrams of caffeine per day to alleviate headaches and improve mental alertness

Heart attack and kidney stones: at least one cup of black tea each day to reduce heart attack and kidney stone risk

Atherosclerosis: one to four cups (125 to 500 milliliters) of brewed black tea each day to prevent hardening of the arteries

Parkinson's disease: Men who consumed 421 to 2,716 milligrams of total caffeine (approximately five to 33 cups of black tea) daily seem to have the lowest risk of developing Parkinson's disease. However, men who drink as little as 124 to 208 milligrams of caffeine (about one to three cups) daily also have a significantly lower chance of developing Parkinson's disease. In women, one to four cups per day seems to be best.

Alzheimer's disease: Recent research gleaned from studying 957 Chinese seniors 55 and older found that regular consumption of tea lowers the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly by 50 percent, while APOE e4 gene carriers who are genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease may experience a reduction in cognitive impairment risk by as much as 86 percent.

I want to note that I certainly don't recommend having 33 cups of black tea per day. We all handle caffeine differently, but in general it's not recommended to have more than five cups (40 ounces) each day.

Black Tea vs. Green Tea vs. White Tea

Black, green and white tea all share the same tea source, which is the tea plant. The processing of tea results in the different colors, flavors and health benefits of tea. After picking, white tea is the least processed while black tea is the most processed. White tea is the closest you can get to just picking a tea leaf off the plant and incurs very little oxidation. Meanwhile, green tea gets dried and undergoes a pan-frying or steam-heating process depending on the variety. Black tea is made using leaves that have oxidized, which means they were purposely permitted to wilt and brown after picking.

The ORAC value (antioxidant content) of brewed black tea is 1,128 while green tea is slightly higher at 1,253. So green tea definitely wins when it comes to antioxidants, but it's probably not by as much as you expected.

Black, green and white tea all share common tea benefits thanks to their polyphenols, which science has shown to have antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, detoxifying and immune-stimulating effects.

Green tea is usually lower in caffeine than black tea while green tea is typically lower than white tea. Research has shown that green and white tea have similar levels of health-promoting catechins and polyphenols.

Black Tea Infused Irish Porridge with Acai Berry (No. 8)
Chai Tea Recipe (this recipe has no caffeine as is, but black tea makes the perfect addition)
Black tea has many uses in the kitchen, but I also want to know what an awesome natural beauty aid it can be as well.

Black Tea Interesting Facts

Black tea benefits are definitely not a new thing. For thousands of years, tea has been consumed has a medicinal beverage. In approximately the third century AD, experts say that tea started to be consumed daily, and this is when tea cultivation and processing started up. The very first published account of tea planting, processing and drinking methods is said to be from 350 AD. In the 1800s, tea began to spread further from China and Japan to Taiwan, Indonesia, Burma and India.

In the mid 1800s, the British introduced tea culture into India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Today, the top five producers of tea in the world are China (No. 1), India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey.  Being the second most popular beverage in the world after water, it's no wonder that tea is mass-produced all across the globe.

When you steep black tea, you allow the flavor the tea to infuse the hot water. The more steep time, the more intense the flavor and vice versa. Scientists say that you shouldn't steep your black tea for any less than two minutes, but apparently research has shown that a whopping 80 percent of tea drinkers don't wait for even that small amount of time.

Plus, 40 percent drink their tea immediately, which means they get a less flavorful, less antioxidant-rich, very weak brew. To get the most black tea benefits, you definitely want to allow ample steeping time.

Risks and Side Effects

Is tea bad for you ever?