How Tea Can Make A Fat Cat Skinny Again

My friend Joe likes to tell us about his Grandparents every time they have family gatherings. They are actually quite amazing people as his grandmother remarried at the age of 80 and they have been living happily for the past 15 years independently in their own house. One of the funnier things about them is their cat. Now, mind you, they are 95 years old, so they tend to be a bit forgetful these days, especially when it comes to feeding their cat. Because of this, Joe's grandma will sometimes feed their cat 3 or 4 times a day. So now the cat is fat, really fat. I think Joe told me that it weighs about 35 pounds, whereas the average cat weighs about 6 pounds. So, I think it is safe to say that this cat is the "Jabba the Hut" of cats. While this is a lighthearted story, it touches on a much more serious topic of becoming forgetful when we get older. A new study has come out showing that a good way to reduce mild signs of forgetfulness or dementia, is by staying active, taking vitamin D and drinking tea.

Drinking Tea has Proven to Reduce Dementia by 37%

A study by the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has shown that as little as one to four cups of tea per week can have a dramatic effect on the effects of dementia. The study was performed on 4,800 men and women aging 65 and above over a 15 year period.

The Key is Epigenetics

In a nutshell, epigenetics means that living a certain lifestyle can overcome your genes that give you diseases like dementia. In this case, the study shows that being physically active, taking vitamin D and drinking tea can nullify your DNA if you are more prone to dementia.

Tea has Certain Compounds that Help Keep Your Memory Sharp

In tea, biologically active substances such as trigonelline and pyrogallic acid and antioxidants such as chlorogenic, coumaric, ferrulic and sinapic acids and silverskin that help fight off dementia and other brain diseases.

This is A Lot of Scientific Jargon. What Does it All Mean?

It means that your genes no longer have ultimate authority on your physical wellbeing. In a nutshell, if you live a healthy lifestyle you have a better chance of avoiding health problems going forward, including dementia. Now as far as fat cats are concerned, I think the only cure for that is some diet cat food and a giant ball of string to get him some exercise.

Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/waffleboy/14208448814