Prescription For Healthy Skin

February 27, 2006

Hot Tea with a Twist

By Ralph Moss, Ph.D.

http://www.cancerdecisions.com

News from the breakfast front... start putting a twist of

lemon peel into your hot tea. The reason is a recent study showing that people who drink hot tea with a twist of citrus peel have far fewer cases of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) than those who do not.

Scientists at the University of Arizona studied the

drinking habits of 450 people, half of whom had SCC. They

found that those who regularly drank hot tea had a 40

percent reduction in the incidence of this common type of

skin cancer. But those who added a twist of citrus peel to their hot tea had a remarkable 70 percent reduction. They also had an equivalent reduction in severe sunburn, a predisposing cause of squamous cell and other skin cancers {Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001 Jun;10(6):667-78}.

The Tucson scientists found no particular benefit (in this

regard) to citrus juice or citrus fruit... just the peel. Citrus peels are the major source of a chemical called d- limonene, which seems to have a protective effect against skin cancer.

But why hot (and not iced) tea? The reason seems to be

that iced tea becomes too diluted to be of much benefit.

{Nutr Cancer 2000;37(2):161-8}.

These enterprising Arizonans hope to develop and market

food supplements for the prevention of skin cancer. Well,

good luck to them. But why would you purchase some

expensive tea-and-lemon peel pill when you can brew up a delicious cup of the real thing for a couple of pennies?

So how about drinking more tea right now? I myself prefer organic decaffeinated tea. Just keep a lemon and a vegetable peeler handy. Twist the peel and you can actually see the "zest" spritzing onto the surface of the tea.

As to the iced tea question, I brew up a large teapot in

the morning and let the teabags soak for a while until the

tea gets very strong. I then take that strong tea and let

it return to a normal strength as it melts the ice cubes.

And then I twist some more lemon peel in for good measure.

“If you are discouraged it is a sign of pride, because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about other people's opinions. Be humble and you will never be disturbed. Remember St. Aloysius, who said he would continue to play billiards even if he knew he was going to die. Do you play well? Sleep well? Eat well? These are duties. Nothing is small for God.”

~ Mother Theresa20th century humanitarian

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