Patriot Health Digest
Currently, the oldest person in the world is 118 years-old, but new data seems to suggest that humans could possibly live up to 150 years.
Dan Buettner, a researcher who looks into the world’s longevity hot zones, recently published a list of drinks that are surprisingly attractive. Sure, you won’t see soda on it, but what you will see are some pretty tasty beverages.
“This is what folks who live the longest, drink,” Buettner says. “So it is a correlation. I can’t make a direct relationship but I can say these people drink these things on a daily basis for decades.”
1. Green Tea
In Okinawa, Buettner reports that people fill a 20-ounce jar with tea leaves and sip on it all day, and he gives two reasons for why this could help them reach such an old age when compared to the general population.
“First, the caffeine is a positive thing, and it is linked with a lower chance of Parkinson’s and Diabetes, lower rates of heart disease, and better attention and focus,” he says. Just don’t consume it in the afternoon or it will harm your sleep.
Green tea is also packed with antioxidants known as flavanols, which have been linked to lower bad cholesterol. And studies show a link between green tea drinking and better heart health overall.
2. Black Tea
Black tea has many of the same good benefits as green tea. With caffeine and antioxidants. As a result, it is also protective against the development of numerous chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart disease.
3. Coffee (black)
Coffee also has caffeine and is filled with beneficial antioxidants. In fact, Buettner says it’s the primary source of antioxidants in the normal American diet.
Coffee also contains lots of essential nutrients, including vitamin B5 (helps red blood cells), manganese (good for bone development and your metabolism), potassium (lowers your blood pressure), magnesium (better energy production and better sleep), and niacin, which aids in converting vitamins into useable energy. Overall, drinking it is linked to a lower risk for type 2 diabetes, depression, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer.
4. Red wine
You could be surprised to see this one, and Buettner admits there is controversy around recommending alcohol as being helpful to health.
“In most of these long-lived areas, they drink a little bit of red wine every day and it adds to their quality of life,” he says. “If you consume a little red wine with a plant-focused meal, it will quadruple the flavonoid and antioxidant absorption and lower your cortisol levels.”
This of course comes with a caveat, as Buettner says. Moderation is crucial—you should drink no more than one alcoholic drink each day.
Author: Scott Dowdy
