NEWS worthy Clips (1/3)

Update your vocabulary with news clips from around the world 

Scientists explore medical benefits of tea

Can drinking tea affect ? A growing number of scientists are exploring new ways to uncover the chemical secrets nature has tucked into* the leaves of green and black teas.

“People have been drinking tea for 5,000 years, and many cultures have used teas for medicinal purposes for just about that long,” said John Foxe, a professor of neuroscience and biology at the Nathan Kline Institute, Foxe studies the effects of tea on the brain.

Foxe has found that an amino acid* present in green, black and teas has dramatic physiologic effects. Known as theanine, the tiny molecule enters the bloodstream, then crosses the critical blood-brain barrier, the selective sieve that allows entry only of certain molecules.

“We found that within 20 minutes of drinking a cup of tea, there was an impact on the brain’s alpha waves*,” said Foxe, who studies ways to improve attention. Study subjects were better able to focus after drinking tea, he said, because theanine lowered alpha wave activity. He said there are about 20 to 25 milligrams of theanine in a cup of tea and that the effect on alpha waves lasts about four hours.

, theanine acts synergistically with caffeine to produce the calming effect.

Foxe has pursued his research under a grant from Unilever, the giant that owns the Lipton tea company. But Dr. Louis Teichholz of Hackensack University Medical Center says the research is still valid. “Just because it was supported by a company does not negate the research,” he said.

Scientists from abroad who were not connected with U.S. corporations also presented data. Israeli researcher Dr. Sylvia Mandel said her studies of animal models and epidemiological studies suggest green tea may support the aging brain. Tea drinkers, she said, are less likely to develop ’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Vocabulary Focus

tuck into (phr v)--- to put into a save or convenient place

Specialized terms

amino acid (n phr)--- 氨基酸 an organic compound that forms proteins or that serves as a messenger in plants and animals

alpha wave (n phr)--- 阿尔法波 an electrical signal produced by the brain and found primarily during periods of relaxation