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No other food or
beverage is reported to have as many health benefits as green tea
and the evidence keeps growing.
The Chinese have known about the
medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times and
historical details that surround it's earliest origins are
sketchy and are constantly being debated . One thing
that is for certain is that the Chinese have
used
it to treat everything from rheumatism, headaches, anxiety
and depression. In her
book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life,
Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a
medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.
For a more
in depth history you can read my article here.
Today there is an avalanche of contemporary scientific research in both Asia and the
West that is
providing hard evidence for the purported health benefits associated with drinking green tea.
The mounting research and testimonials have been very
promising. Take one example from a study done in 1994
by the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute. They
published the results of an epidemiological study indicating
that drinking green tea reduced the risk of cancer of the
esophagus in Chinese
men and women by nearly sixty percent! Researchers at
the University of Purdue
have recently concluded that unique compounds (catechins and
flavonoids) in green tea
inhibits the growth of cancer cells. (for more
information click
here) Current research
has also indicated that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol
levels as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL)
cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.
Just a few medical conditions in which
drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful are cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, infection
and impaired immune function.
What Is It That Makes Green Tea So Unique?
The secret of green tea lies in the fact that it is rich in
catechin polyphenols (or
flavonoids), particularly epigallocatechin gallate
(EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant. EGCG
inhibits
the growth of cancer cells and also kills cancer cells without
harming surrounding healthy tissue. Green tea has also been
shown to be effective in
lowering LDL cholesterol levels in the body and also at inhibiting the abnormal
formation of blood clots. This feature of catechins takes
on added importance when one takes into consideration the
fact that thrombosis (the formation
of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart
attacks and strokes.
Links are being made between the effects of drinking green
tea and the "French Paradox." For years scientists have been
perplexed by the fact that despite having a diet consisting
of foods that are high in fat the French have a lower
incidence of heart disease than Americans do. The answer has
been found to lie in red wine. Red wine contains
resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects
of smoking and a diet high in fat. In a 1997 study,
researchers from the University of Kansas determined that
EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain
why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite
low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are
smokers. Quite a testimonial to the benefits of green
tea if it were the only factor considered! However,
when taking into account the fact that European and Asian
males simply walk more than Americans the findings
can only be considered to be promising at best.
Why is it then that other Chinese teas don't have the same health-giving
properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the
leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green
tea apart is the manner in which it is processed.
Green tea leaves are
steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being
oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made
from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being
converted into other compounds that are not nearly as
effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.
Are There Any Benefits for Weight Loss?
New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help
dieters. A study released by the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition in 1999 published the results of a study performed at the University
of Geneva in Switzerland. Swiss researchers found that men who
were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract
burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a
placebo.
Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay. Just as
its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food
poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental
plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green
tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on
the market including those that purportedly reverse the
loss of hair.
Is There A Potential for
Harmful Effects?
To date, the only negative side effect reported from
drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it
contains caffeine. It is a fact, however, that green tea contains less caffeine
than coffee. There are approximately thirty to sixty milligrams of
caffeine in six to eight ounces of tea compared to over one
hundred milligrams in eight ounces of coffee.
Next Page
→
How Much Green Tea
Should You Drink?
→
or click
here
for our health articles archive where you can continue
reading about the many health benefits of organic green tea.
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