KTK-Nutrition

Who doesn’t enjoy a cup of hot tea, especially in winter?   Does tea have any health benefits?   Do different kinds of tea have different health benefits?   Yes.   An interesting article, in Environmental Nutrition discussed teas for various health reasons such as weight, insomnia and improving your immunity. Many people make health claims for herbal teas, but what health claims are true and reliable?    Weight – are there herbal teas that promote weight loss?   Green, white and oolong teas:   These 3 teas have chemicals in them called catechins .   In the lab at least, these chemicals do affect fat metabolism.   Green tea is especially rich in catechins.   Roobios tea :   This is a different tea, a red tea with a different chemical.   This one has the chemical, aspalathin.    One study showed it helped improve fat metabolism. Peppermint tea:   a real treat on a cold winter day.   The smell ...

For those who take supplements, this week’s story should be of interest.    The New York Times and others have reported four of our nation’s top retailers have been selling you fake herbal supplements.   A number of the herbal supplements contained NONE of the herbs listed on the label.   Some of the fake ingredients are not harmful but some are.   The New York Attorney General’s office is the one that discovered herbal supplements may not contain what the label claims. What stores are involved in this scandal?   Target, Walmart, GNC and Walgreens What herbal supplements are affected and what fake ingredients are in the supplements?   The New York Times provides a detailed list: Target – Up and Up brand   St.   John’s Wort – no herb but garlic, rice and some dracaena which is a tropical houseplant  Gingko Biloba – none found but garlic, rice, mung Valerian Root –  No root found but allium, bean, asparagus, pea family, ...