Can drinking both coffee and tea save your life? And more research you need to know about.
Does drinking more coffee and tea reduce your risk of dying?
Can you reduce your blood pressure 10 points by doing breathing exercises at home?
Could doing doing just 10 push-ups a day lower your risk of heart attack and stroke?
The answer to all these questions is actually "Yes!" We now know this thanks to exciting research studies you need to know about.
As we continue into a busy holiday season, many of us will struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance in December, which inevitably results in a plethora of New Years Resolutions for January 2023. These studies give some simple ways to improve your health. Here's what you'll want to keep in mind.
Coffee and tea: Daily cups of both can save your life
Numerous studies have already shown the health benefits of coffee. Regular coffee drinkers have a:
Reduced risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease
Less chance of developing Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease
Reduced risk of colon cancer
Not to be outdone, the benefits of daily tea drinking have been well studied as well. But what if you combine coffee and tea drinking? Are the benefits increased?
A massive study tracking half a million people in the U.K. using a self-reported questionnaire sought to answer this question. Researchers found that those who drank 2-4 cups of tea and 1-2 cups of coffee daily reduced their risk of dying by 22% relative to those who drank neither tea or coffee. The reason for this is well-known. Both coffee and tea have potent bioactive compounds such as caffeine, chlorogenic acid and others that play a protective role against chronic disease. These antioxidants reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, manage blood sugar levels and improve endothelial function; failure of which is the primary reason for a lot of chronic disease like coronary artery disease, hypertension and diabetes.
So for those who love their morning cup of coffee, consider mixing it up with a post-dinner cup of tea. And for those who love tea, aim to work in afternoon cup of coffee to get through that midday slump.
Reaching for another cup of coffee? Here's how much caffeine is considered dangerous.
Workout your lungs to lower your blood pressure
Having high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. This is concerning because more patients are being diagnosed with hypertension than ever before.
Along with recommended daily exercise and reduction of dietary sodium, patients are often started on one or more anti-hypertensive medications. A single standard medication typically reduces blood pressure by about 9mmHg. This is important because multiple research studies show that a 9mmHg reduction in blood pressure correlates to a 35% drop in the risk of stroke and a 25% drop in the risk of heart disease, respectively. A combination of medication reduces that risk even further.
But exciting new research points to an additional option for reducing blood pressure; one that can be done anywhere and without the risk of side effects.
Exercise your lungs. That's right. A retrospective analysis published in The Journal of Applied Physiology of 128 patients across five research trials found that a 6-week course of high-resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) reduced systolic blood pressure by 9mmHg, similar to that of a single anti-hypertensive medication.
Using a hand-held machine similar to an inhaler, research participants did 30 deep breathing exercises a day, which takes approximately 5 minutes. A deep, resisted breath recruits our diaphragm and multiple muscles involved in breathing. This promotes the release of nitric oxide,reducing blood pressure.
One key note: doing such breathing exercises should not replace your blood pressure medication. Think of it more like another tactic in your strategy to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Are you next? More Americans than ever are being diagnosed with high blood pressure.
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The benefit of the tried-and-true push-up
Another study you should know about comes from Harvard University, and it was first published in JAMA Open Network in 2019. It followed a group of 1,562 active firefighters over 10 years. Those who were able to do 40 pushups had a 96% lower risk of heart disease compared to those who could only do 10.
Because the study was done in middle-aged occupationally fit men, it's tough to apply the results to women or a less active general population.
But it does demonstrate the benefits of being physically fit.
An interesting take-home from this study is questioning why primary care physicians don't use a push-up test to gauge cardiovascular health rather than something like BMI? Scientists have been questioning the usefulness of using BMI in primary patient assessments for years. BMI is a surrogate measure of body fat that actually just measures excess weight. But it doesn't distinguish between excess fat vs. excess muscle or bone mass.
More: Everything you miss when you think weight loss is about willpower
Michael Daignault, MD, is a board-certified ER doctor in Los Angeles. He studied Global Health at Georgetown University and has a Medical Degree from Ben-Gurion University. He completed his residency training in emergency medicine at Lincoln Medical Center in the South Bronx. He is also a former United States Peace Corps Volunteer. Find him on Instagram @dr.daignault and Twitter @MichaelDaignau3.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coffee, tea health benefits; how to lower your blood pressure, more.