Increasing Antioxidants in Your Lifestyle

Studies indicate that free radicals can cause many conditions, including macular degeneration, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ulcers and inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis and lupus (1).  Antioxidants are well known for their ability to fight against many of these diseases by protecting against the damage of free radicals in our body. Most antioxidants come from fresh fruits and vegetables. Many supplements also contain antioxidants, but studies show that supplements are not as effective as food sources and could, in fact, cause damage depending on the type and quality of the supplement.

Being able to increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is not always easy. Our access to the food sources and busy life styles make it more difficult to prepare and consume fresh produce.

An effective way to increase antioxidants is through consuming fermented plant-based foods. Studies show that plant-based foods which are fermented increase availability of antioxidants. “The ability of fermentation to improve antioxidant activity is primarily due to an increase in the amount of phenolic compounds and flavonoids during fermentation . . .”(2) In addition, “fermentation induces the structural breakdown of plant cell walls, leading to the liberation or synthesis of various antioxidant compounds. These antioxidant compounds can act as free radical terminators, metal chelators, singlet oxygen quenchers, or hydrogen donors to radicals.”(1)

An effective way to increase antioxidants that is both delicious and convenient is to consume Purely Living Kombucha because it is made with raw produce. Purely Living Kombucha uses only raw fruit, honey, ginger, and cacao along with low temperature dried whole teas. Purely Living also has an extra long fermentation time which further increases antioxidant availability. The color and the flavor of Purely Living Kombucha comes only from the raw ingredients, no artificial colors, flavors, extracts, pasteurized juices, or essences are used. The bright color and flavor is clear evidence as to the high amounts of antioxidants. Quality and purity can also be assured with our product and facility being FDA regulated. Purity is also assured in every aspect of our ingredients and fermentation including eliminating water and air-borne toxins. This is why customers testify as to Purely Living Kombucha being so powerful and effective. 

(1) https://www.livescience.com/54901-free-radicals.html

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24799248

Raw Ginger

Purely Living Ginger Honey Kombucha is made with freshly cut, raw, organic ginger. It is one of the favorites among our customers. Our honey ginger not only tastes great but has many health benefits. Raw honey alone has many benefits, but today we will look at raw ginger.

Pain & Inflammation: Ginger has been shown to be effective in pain relief and reducing inflammation. "Ginger was as effective as mefenamic acid and ibuprofen in relieving pain." (1) According to study results, ginger "exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by suppressing the transcription of inflammatory mediator genes." (2) Another study published in Cancer Prevention Research journal found that ginger reduced inflammation markers in the colon within a month. Reducing inflammation can be beneficial for many health issues including arthritis. Professor Roufogalis, executive director of the Herbal Medicine Research and Education Centre, states "That's the nice thing about ginger, it affects the pain pathways directly but also relieves the inflammation which in itself causes pain."

Nausea: Ginger is known to be a remedy for nausea. According to studies, ginger has been proven effective against nausea for pregnancy, motion sickness, and chemotherapy.

Diabetes: Ginger has been studied and shown effective against diabetes. "Ginger may be of great value in managing the effects of diabetic complications in human subjects." (3)

Anti-bacterial and Anti-viral: Ginger exhibits antibacterial activity on both oral and respiratory pathogens. (4)(5) It is also shown to be anti-viral. "Fresh, but not dried, ginger is effective against HRSV-induced plaque formation on airway epithelium by blocking viral attachment and internalization." (6)

Brain Function: Studies show ginger is helpful for memory and brain function. "The cognitive enhancing effect and neuroprotective effect occurred partly via the antioxidant activity of the extract." (7)

Digestion: Ginger is known to aid in digestion. "Ginger accelerates gastric emptying and stimulates antral contractions in healthy volunteers." (8)

​The flavor from Purely Living Ginger Honey Kombucha comes only from raw honey and raw, organic ginger. You can be assured our fresh ginger is not refined into a powder or juice. We do not alter the ginger through heat, pasteurization, or chemicals. It is pure, raw, and organic.

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19216660

2. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691509000775

3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17010224

4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12630492

5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18814211

6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23123794

7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21197427

8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18403946

Blueberries

As you probably already know and see by the color of our kombucha, the fruit Purely Living uses is raw and cold-pressed to retain antioxidants and nutrition value. According to the National Cancer Institute, ​"Antioxidants are chemicals that interact with and neutralize free radicals, thus preventing them from causing damage. Antioxidants are also known as 'free radical scavengers.'” (1) A 2008 study by Cornell University, measured cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) “The objective of the study was to determine the cellular antioxidant activity, total phenolic contents, and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values of 25 fruits commonly consumed in the United States. Pomegranate and berries (wild blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry) had the highest CAA values, . . . Apples were found to be the largest contributors of fruit phenolics to the American diet, and apple and strawberries were the biggest suppliers of cellular antioxidant activity.” (2) Our naturally colorful kombucha reveals the antioxidants it retains. Medical News Today states that “Blueberries contain a type of flavonoid known as anthocyanins, which are responsible for giving foods like blueberries, cranberries, red cabbage and eggplants their iconic deep red, purple and blue hues. Anthocyanins are responsible for more than just the blueberry's pretty blue color - they also contribute to the popular fruit's numerous health benefits.” (3)

Keeping the fruit raw in our kombucha is vital. According to whfoods.org, “We recommend enjoying raw blueberries — rather than relying upon blueberries incorporated into baked desserts — because, like other fruits, raw blueberries provide you with the best flavor and the greatest nutritional benefits.” (4)

1. National Cancer Institute, http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/antioxidants-fact-sheet

2. Department of Food Science and Institute of Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, Cornell University http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf801381y

3. Medical News Today, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287710.php

4. The World's Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=8

Important Benefits of White Tea

How can Purely Living White Tea Kombucha build your health? The fermentation process has been shown to effectively increase and release higher levels of antioxidants found in white tea.

Minimally Processed

White tea is unique in that it undergoes minimal processing than other teas because it is dried at low temperatures. This aids in the retention of higher levels of phytochemicals.

Inflammation

Researchers from Kingston University found that the high antioxidants in white tea can help protect against cancer and heart disease. White tea is also found to reduce inflammation along with aiding in the protection of elastin and collagen in our body. "We were testing very small amounts far less than you would find in a drink," Professor Naughton, from the School of Life Sciences at Kingston University and a leading inflammation specialist, said. "The early indicators are that white tea reduces the risk of inflammation which is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers as well as wrinkles.” Researchers from Kingston University tested 21 plants and herbs but were surprised to find white tea outperformed them all.

Cancer

Studies have shown that white tea has significant effects in reducing and preventing cancer. For instance, studies were done researching the effects of white tea with colon cancer cells. The results had shown that white tea had antioxidant and antiproliferative effects against cancer cells, but protected normal cells against DNA damage. White tea extract increased a specific type of cell death in laboratory cultures of two different types of non-small cell lung cancer cells, indicating that the tea may have an anti-cancer effect also, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Fat Metabolism

Catechins, an antioxidant found in white tea, are known for excellent anti-cancer properties along with other health benefits including cardiovascular treatment and reduction of body fat. Because of white tea’s young leaves and the minimal environmental exposure and processing, white tea has been found to be high in Catechins. Dr. Marc Winnefeld, Research Laboratory Manager at Beiersdorf’s Research & Development Center, researched the effect of white tea on fat cells. Dr. Winnefeld says "the extract solution induced a decrease in the expression of genes associated with the growth of new fat cells, while also prompting existing adipocytes to break down the fat they contain." His findings are published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism.

Diabetes

Another benefit of white tea, according to American Diabetes Association, is that research has shown tea to reduce risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. According to an article by PubMed.Gov white tea is shown to reduce diabetes associated with abnormalities. This includes reduction in blood glucose; increase in liver weight, glycogen, and insulin sensitivity; reduction in LDL cholesterol; and improvement in glucose tolerance. According to PubMed.Gov, a study done on white tea showed that it not only improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, but it also helped reduce oxidation damage on the brain from diabetes.

Historical Benefits

Kombucha is not a new health beverage. Its benefits have been documented in history. Early to mid-20th century, German medical research had recognized kombucha to be effective as an intestinal regulator and beneficial in cases of digestive disturbances, constipation, hemorrhoids, kidney stones, gall bladder problems, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, cholesterol, high blood pressure, angina, gout, gouty eczema, arthritis, anxiety, headaches, and fatigue. The director of “Academy of Chemists” at Braunschweig recorded that kombucha invigorates the entire glandular system, harmonizing and balancing metabolism, and unwanted fat deposits removed or prevented. (Irion H, Lehrgang fur Drogistenfachschule, Rudolf Muller Publ., Vol 2, 1944). Russian scientists’ research continued to establish efficacy in wound healing (Markarjan G, Dissertation, TEZI, 1953) and infectious wounds (Matinjan A, TEZI, 16, 1953) and various intestinal diseases (Nurazjan A, Diss, TEZI, 1954). Russian hospital settings, in particular, showed antibacterial benefits and efficacy in tonsillitis, enterocolitis, inflammatory internal diseases, stomach catarrh due to deficient acid production, intestinal inflammation, dysentery, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and sclerosis. Professor Barbancik and Dr. R Sklenar, MD, later report and confirm these various therapeutic successes with kombucha.

Research has shown fermentation to increase bioavailability of antioxidants. Thus, combining the benefits of our top quality white tea with the benefits of our time-consuming kombucha fermentation creates an incredible powerhouse! Enjoy the delicate taste of Purely Living White Tea Kombucha while knowing the effective benefits it gives your body.

Sources

http://www.kingston.ac.uk/news/archive/2009/august/10-White-tea-could-keep-you-healthy-and-young-looking/ https://nccih.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/092110.htm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25236244 http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/tea https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2748751/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/5254153/White-tea-may-help-combat-obesity-say-experts.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640470

Cannery Public Market Thoughts on Kombucha