Can white tea rewind wrinkles?
Posted Monday, August 31, 2009
Black, green, red—whatever the color of your favorite tea, they can all help your health. But when it comes to anti-aging abilities, you may want to switch to white tea if it's not already your camellia sinensis of choice.
London-based researchers recently tested more than 20 botanical and herbal extracts in order to deduce their body benefits, and in doing so, they found surprisingly big potential in just a small amount of white tea.
"We were testing very small amounts far less than you would find in a drink,” Professor Declan Naughton said of the young, unoxidized tea leaves. "The early indicators are that white tea reduces the risk of inflammation, which is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers, as well as wrinkles."
According to the recently published findings, white tea's high level of antioxidants prevents the enzyme activity that breaks down collagen and elastin and consequently leads to wrinkles and sagging. In addition to helping skin stay youthful, white tea may help prevent cancer and heart disease, and improve elasticity throughout the body.
If you prefer green tea, you may not reap the extensive benefits white tea offers, but you'll still be helping your skin's structural proteins. It ranked relatively high in this Kingston University study, as did angelica, anise, bladderwrack, goosegrass, rose and pomegranate.
So just imagine the beauty benefits of a cup of pomegranate white tea! (We like Revolution White Pomegranate Tea.)
Tags: angelica, anise, antioxidants, arthritis, beverage, bladderwrack, cancer, collagen, elasticity, elastin, enzymes, goosegrass, green tea, heart disease, inflammation, pomegranate, research, rose, study, tea, white tea, wrinkles
Related: White tea and weight loss, Green tease: do green tea supplements really reverse sun damage?