You have a busy life, and you probably don't have time to deal with even a minor cold, let alone a serious health issue. Yet there are several serious health conditions out there that are of particular concern to women, and it's important to make sure that you're doing what you can to protect your health from these threats. Staying hydrated is an important part of staying healthy, but some drinks can do more than just keep you hydrated. Take a look at some beverages that can help improve and protect your health.

Tea for Heart Health

Heart disease is often thought of as a men's health problem, not a women's health problem. But the fact is, cardiovascular diseases and stroke kill about one woman every 80 seconds, and 90% of women have at least one risk factor for heart disease or stroke. What's more, women are less likely than men to survive their first heart attack. Heart disease is definitely a serious health concern for women.

Drinking tea isn't going to eliminate your risk for heart disease completely, but it's definitely a good place to start. Tea contains catechins and epicatechins, compounds that reduce inflammation. This reduction in inflammation can reduce plaque buildup in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks. What's more, drinking tea can improve the reactivity of your blood vessels. Both black and green tea contain helpful compounds, but green tea is higher in these ingredients than black tea.

Tomato Juice for Breast Cancer Prevention

Breast cancer is certainly a serious concern for women today. Scientists have determined that some carotenoids, which are the pigments that give fruits and vegetables their color, can help reduce a women's risk of developing breast cancer.

That's a good enough reason for drinking fruit and vegetable juices, but it's worth noting that one carotenoid stood out from the rest. Lycopene, the carotenoid found in tomatoes, reduced women's risk of breast cancer by 22%. That means that if you enjoy a regular glass of tomato juice now, drinking it may be helping to bring down your risk of developing breast cancer later.

Beer for Bone Health

Bone density tends to decrease with age. Because women's bones are smaller and thinner than men's, and because the estrogen that protects women's bones declines when they hit menopause, women tend to have a greater risk of developing osteoporosis than men. Older women in particular have to take care of their bones in order to prevent bone density loss. As it turns out, beer may be the beverage that can help with that.

A National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment study that looked at 200,000 women found that women who drink beer are at lower risk of osteoporosis than women who do not drink beer. That means that enjoying a beer or two could save you from dealing with a broken hip somewhere down the line.

You can't prevent all possible health problems, but there's no harm in doing what you can to protect your health. Choosing beverages that are good for heart health, cancer prevention, and bone health is an easy way to make good choices for your health. For more info about healthy beverages, check out companies like Sip Suva.