IN YOUR DAILY DOSE: today is research that demonstrates the effect black tea has on your weight loss efforts is related to something you may not expect.

MAKING CHANGES: This is simple - drink tea! We’ll give you even more strategies to support your gut health.

FACT OR FICTION: Basketball is my favorite sport . . . I like the way they dribble up and down the court. It’s the most popular song on the “Like Mike” movie soundtrack.

In The News

Researchers from the University of California Los Angeles have demonstrated for the first time that the health benefits associated with drinking black tea - including weight loss- is related to the way the tea affects bacteria living in your gut.

The research shows that both black and green tea alters the ratio of intestinal bacteria in animals, thus affecting your mood, weight loss and neurological protection. The study’s lead author, Susanne Henning, an adjunct professor at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, commented in Science Daily on the results of the study, say:

"It was known that green tea polyphenols are more effective and offer more health benefits than black tea polyphenols since green tea chemicals are absorbed into the blood and tissue. Our new findings suggest that black tea, through a specific mechanism through the gut microbiome, may also contribute to good health and weight loss in humans. The results suggest that both green and black teas are prebiotics, substances that induce the growth of good microorganisms that contribute to a person's well-being.

SOURCE: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171004084903.htm

Daily Health Tip

Your gut is a vital organ to your health and your longevity. It controls your immune system, is intimately involved in your mood and has an effect on the development of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Making Changes

What you eat affects the growth of bacteria in your gut that outnumbers the number of cells in your body. This bacteria is responsible for the strength of your immune system and impacts the inflammatory response in your body - which in turn affects your heart health, risk of stroke and potential for suffering immune mediated diseases, such as lupus.

You may make significant impact on your gut microbiome by making just a couple of changes to your diet. Researchers have discovered people eating a variety of vegetables have a more diverse microbiome (important to health). Sugar feeds the bad bacterial growth in your intestines.  Here are several strategies that may help you:

1. Consider using a quality probiotic and prebiotic supplement - the first to add a diverse microbiome to your gut and the second to feed them.
2. Reduce or eliminate your sugar intake, smoking and alcohol consumption as each negatively affects your gut bacteria, your immune system and your heart health.
3. Increase the amount of non-carbohydrate fiber you eat daily as it feeds your good bacteria and found in vegetables.
4. Reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat each day as these foods metabolize into sugar in your body.

Daily Affirmation

Today, I focus on relaxation after work. I leave my job-related concerns behind and take full advantage of the time I have away from work.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. How can I prevent others from interfering in my relaxation after work?
2. What type of exercises can help me relax?
3. How can I help my mind free itself from anxious thoughts?

Fact or Fiction?

Basketball is my favorite sport . . . I like the way they dribble up and down the court. It’s the most popular song on the “Like Mike” movie soundtrack.

In 2002 Lil Bow Wow covered the song “Basketball is My Favorite Sport” for the movie soundtrack for Like Mike. Basketball is a game invented by Dr. James Naismith on a rainy day in 1891. The first court was built at Springfield College in Springfield, MA.  Until 1929 the game was played with a soccer ball.  In a very short period of time the game progressed from invention to Olympic sport in 1936. Michael Jordan, player for the Chicago Bulls, brought the game to the attention of more than sports fans, scoring more than 5,987 point in the playoffs than any other player at the time of his retirement and the creative idea behind the movie, Like Mike.

Have a wonderful day!

Your Healthy Life America Team