Independent Expert Panel Recommends Tea Second Only to Water as a Healthy Beverage

02/05/06 ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. -- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published Healthy Beverage Guidelines proposed by an independent panel of nutrition experts to provide consumers with the guidance they need to choose healthy beverages as part of a balanced diet. The Healthy Beverage Guidelines recommend a variety of beverages, and that tea is second only to water as a healthy beverage. The guidelines include up to eight servings of brewed, unsweetened tea and up to four servings of calorie-free sweetened tea per day. LIPTON®, a leader in promoting health and vitality, wants Americans to "live well" and enjoy being healthy by making positive choices in their lives, which includes drinking tea. LIPTON® is challenging Americans to take the LIPTON® Live Well Challenge by drinking three cups of tea everyday and getting active. The LIPTON® Live Well Challenge encourages a healthy, active lifestyle by experiencing the refreshment, strength and well being provided by tea and exercise.

"Living well means making healthy eating and drinking choices while being active," said Jenna Bell-Wilson, Ph.D., R.D., L.D., and University Professor. "The Healthy Beverage Guidelines help consumers make smart and healthy beverage choices. The good news is making healthy beverage choices doesn't mean giving up taste. In fact, you can have up to eight servings of unsweetened tea and four servings of calorie-free sweetened tea per day. Black or green, iced or hot, tea is a healthy, delicious and refreshing beverage choice."

Why Take the Lipton Live Well Challenge

Along with consistent physical activity and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and whole grains, drinking tea is part of a healthy lifestyle. According to a May 2005 research review conducted by a team of researchers at Michigan State University and presented at the American Dietetic Association's (ADA) annual Nutrition News Forecast meeting, tea is a natural source of flavonoid antioxidants and is the main source of flavonoid antioxidants in the U.S. diet. Antioxidants help protect the body from free radical damage.

As part of a healthy diet, regular tea drinking may help maintain a healthy heart. Numerous scientific studies in the U.S. and Europe have been conducted to compare the heart health of regular tea drinkers with those who do not regularly drink tea. Results suggest that people who drink tea may help maintain cardiovascular health as compared to those who don't drink tea, but still have a healthy lifestyle.

Tea can be just as effective as water in helping keep people hydrated. It is a common myth that tea or any other caffeine-containing beverage will cause a loss of body fluid and negatively impact the body's hydration level. Scientific evidence simply does not support this belief. Drinking tea can give your mind a gentle lift that can help you focus. Moreover, unsweetened brewed tea, black or green, is a perfect beverage to use as part of a weight management diet or lifestyle.

Further research has shown that physical activity performed three times a week has beneficial psychological and physical effects. Cardiovascular activity has been proven to improve well-being, general health, mood, sleep, mental performance, physical activity levels and blood flow. In addition, research shows that diet and exercise really go hand-in-hand. Individuals who exercise also eat healthier diets and when exercise is stopped, diets often become sub-par.

How to Take the Challenge

The challenge is as simple as 1-2-3. Lipton is encouraging consumers to enjoy three teas a day, get active, and feel the difference. With an enlightening cup at breakfast, a healthy sip at lunch and a refreshing snack during the day, three LIPTON® teas can be easily incorporated into the daily diet. It's a great way to give both body and mind a lift.

In addition, a minimum of 30 minutes of cycling or another cardio-related activity at least three times a week can help improve mood and provide an extra boost of energy to stride easily through the workweek and beyond.

TEAm Lipton®, LIPTON's® pro women's cycling and triathlon team, will make appearances at BikeTown USA events across the country to encourage people to take part in the Challenge, launching at Bike New York May 1-7, with a launch in Battery Park on Sunday, May 7 at 7:00 a.m. BikeTown USA is an organization dedicated to changing people's lives by giving away bikes through local grassroots outreach. Through a partnership with BikeTown USA, Lipton tea is making it possible for thousands of Americans to live active lives by giving away bikes.

What the Lipton Live Well Challenge Incorporates

The LLWC will be brought to life through an integrated program including a national on-pack promotion and online sweepstakes to win bikes and biking gear and a 10-market national tour with TEAm Lipton®, and BikeTown USA through Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Philadelphia. TEAm Lipton and BikeTown will give away one bike a day and a healthy supply of LIPTON® Tea for 150 days.

About the Healthy Beverage Guidelines

In addition to promoting physical activity, Lipton is the world leader in understanding the science of tea and beverage consumption. As part of that commitment to science, vitality and nutrition, Lipton commissioned a research study on how Americans drink that resulted in proposed guidelines for beverage consumption that fit perfectly with an active lifestyle. The Healthy Beverage Guidelines were funded by the Unilever Health Institute, North America* and created by a panel of leading nutrition experts led by Barry Popkin, Director, University of North Carolina, Interdisciplinary Obesity Program. Panel members included: Walter C. Willett (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA), Lawrence E. Armstrong (University of Connecticut Human Performance Laboratory, Storrs, CT), George M. Bray (Louisiana State University Medical Center and Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA), Benjamin Caballero (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD) and Balz Frei (Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR).

To help consumers choose beverages in the right balance, variety and moderation, the panel ranked beverages from lowest to highest value based on caloric and nutrient content and related health benefits and risks.

     -- Level VI: Calorie rich beverages without nutrients (up to one
        serving**, less if trying to lose weight)
     -- Level V: 100% fruit and vegetable juices, whole milk, sports drinks
        (up to one serving)
     -- Level IV: Diet beverages with sugar substitutes (up to four servings)
     -- Level III: Nonfat or lowfat milk and fortified unsweetened soy
        beverages (up to two servings)
     -- Level II: Unsweetened coffee and tea -- iced and hot (up to eight
        servings a day of tea, up to four servings of coffee)
     -- Level I: Water (up to nine servings of water for women, at least
        thirteen servings for men)

    **Servings are in 8-ounce portions

The expert panel making these recommendations was fully independent. The Unilever Health Institute, North America,* Lipton and Unilever had no power to influence or veto decisions. For more information about the Healthy Beverage Guidelines, visit http://www.lipton.com .