Green tea and exercise to improve bone health
A new study suggests that green tea, when combined with a fitness activity known as tai chi, may improve bone health and reduce inflammation in postmenopausal women. Tai chi is a Chinese martial art known for its slow movements. Scientists at Texas Tech University probed the potential for green tea to work synergistically with tai chi in enhancing bone strength. The six-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled, intervention trial involved 171 postmenopausal women with a median age of 57. It found that women who consumed an equivalent of four to six daily cups of green tea and participated in tai chi showed enhanced bone health and increased muscle strength after six months. The combination of green tea and tai chi also had a substantial effect on biological markers of oxidative stress, which is a precursor to inflammation.