Green Tea, Black Tea, Herbal Tea: Healthful Beverage Choices

Even though the claims may be exaggerated, if you're going to drink much of any beverage other than water, tea is probably your best choice. The health benefits of green tea have been trumpeted in the media recently.
Tea is water plus phytochemicals including caffeine, and very little else unless you add a lot of sugar. Both green and black tea come from the same plant, camellia sinensis. To make green tea, the leaves are steamed, rolled and dried. For black tea, the leaves are dried, then fermented and fired.
Both green and black tea contain phytochemicals that have been linked to reduced rates of certain types of cancers. When brewed at normal strength, both contain about half of the caffeine found in a cup of coffee. If caffeine is a concern, de-caffeinated teas are available.
Herbal teas are dried leaves of a wide variety of plants, which you steep in hot water as you would regular tea. They are generally caffeine free. Many claims are made for the phytochemicals found in herbal teas, but all we can safely say is: yes, they do contain phytochemicals, which may be beneficial or harmful, depending on the plant used and the amount you drink. If you have hay fever or other allergies, be aware that herbal teas made from plants in the family you are sensitive to can trigger the same reactions.
If you need to drink more than a few cups of a beverage, make it water. That's true for all foods, not just tea. So enjoy your tea, but remember, what is beneficial in moderation may be harmful in large amounts.

Tea appears to be healthful and may contribute phytochemicals to your diet that you would not otherwise get.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at
http://www.DrMirkin.com
Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health, and nutrition
.

Benefit of Green Tea

Introduction
There has been an influx of media coverage about the health benefits of green tea. Most green tea enthusiasts may base their opinions on green tea around their own experiences of the beverage. The Chinese have been drinking green tea for thousands of years due to its miracle working abilities. Green tea has been used by the Chinese for treating minor headaches to much larger matters such as preventing cancer. Many health studies are beginning to shine some light on the facets and benefits of green tea. What are the benefits from green tea that can affect your life? The following are five major benefits of green tea that may substantially change your life.
First Health of Green Tea - Weight Loss
The high concentration of polyphenols in green tea helps to oxidize fat and encourage thermogenesis. Thermogenesis in the body is the rate which the body burns calories. Green tea results in an increase of energy which raises the metabolism, therefore, more weight is lost than normal. As a morning beverage, green tea has a small amount of calories compared to most other beverages that Americans drink in the morning. The constant barrage of coffee as most peoples' morning beverage results in a higher amount of daily calories compared to green tea as a beverage in the morning. A substitution of green tea instead of reaching for a cup of joe will make a big difference in the size of your waistline.
Second Benefit of Green Tea - Prevention of Cancer
The polyphenols in green tea prevent the birth This oxidation damages healthy cells of the body and have been linked to illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and even strokes. The polyphenols of green tea constantly search for free radicals and they prevent the formation of unstable oxygen molecules in a process known as oxidation. These free radicals cause aging and cancer.

The polyphenols in green tea eliminate free radicals that plague the body. This oxidation damages healthy cells of the body and have been linked to illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and even strokes. The polyphenols of green tea constantly search for free radicals and they prevent the formation of unstable oxygen molecules in a process known as oxidation. These free radicals cause aging and cancer.

The polyphenols in green tea eliminate free radicals that plague the body. This oxidation damages healthy cells of the body and have been linked to illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and even strokes. The polyphenols of green tea constantly search for free radicals and they prevent the formation of unstable oxygen molecules in a process known as oxidation. These free radicals cause aging and cancer.

The antioxidants in green tea eliminate free radicals that plague the body.
Third Benefit of Green Tea - Healthy Teeth
The oral health of teeth can be vastly improved with the consumption of green tea. This cannot be about coffee which stains the teeth with an ugly yellow tinge. This helps to prevent general tooth decay inside of the mouth.

Also, fluoride helps to maintain healthy, cavity-free teeth. The fluoride kills the bacteria in the mouth that causes plaque. Green tea is well known for keeping teeth clean because of one of its ingredients, fluoride.
Fourth Benefit of Green Tea - Lowers Cholesterol
Also, the catechins help to maintain a healthy good cholesterol to bad cholesterol ratio improving the overall health of the body. The catechins in green tea help to decrease the amount of bad cholesterol. The LDL cholesterol flows through the liver and cells forming heavy deposits on artery walls. Green tea lowers the bad cholesterol's levels, LDL cholesterol and prevents the occurrence of blood clots in the body.

Drinking green tea could possibly lower this stunning high risk. Heart attacks are one of the most common problems associated with bad cholesterol. Green tea may be a possible solution for all those suffering from conditions of high cholesterol.
Benefit of Green Tea Conclusion
So, we hope that you begin a daily green tea regimen tomorrow! Green tea can be taken in a pill form with all the benefits of normal green tea. This problem has been addressed through the usage of green tea extract.

The only side effect that has been clearly recognized is the daily overdose of caffeine. A couple of cups of tea in addition to your normal daily beverage will greatly decrease the risk of any bad conditions. If weight loss, the prevention of cancer, healthy teeth, and the idea of low cholesterol does not give you an idea that green tea is a miracle worker, you must be working with some pretty powerful magic.
Learn more about the
Benefit of Green Tea

Health Benefits of Green Tea and Green Tea Extracts

Green tea, and more recently green tea extracts, have been used for centuries as not only a beverage, but as a medicine as well. Practitioners of natural healing and medicines have long expressed a belief in several health benefits of green tea. Green Tea Extract [Immune System, Circulatory System] contains catechins, a type of polyphenol with powerful antioxidants that neutralize free radicals. Green tea also provides antimicrobial immune system support, helps support the vascular blood clotting function and helps maintain cholesterol levels already within the normal range. It also appears to support healthy kidney function.
GREEN TEA AND WEIGHT LOSS
A study published in the December 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Urology show that substances which are abundant in green tea extracts may promote weight loss through thermogenesis (the body's rate of burning calories). Green tea seems to help in raising the metabolic rate and burning fat. In this study, subjects taking a green tea extract burned more fat calories than those in a control group. Another interesting point is that the affect was accomplished without the increase in heart rate experienced with more common diet pills and weight loss supplements which often have a stimulant base.
One obesity study indicates that long-term tea drinkers (those who drink tea over a period of years) appear to have lower body fat percentages.
GREEN TEA AND HEART HEALTH
Therefore, if you are unsure of the affect of your green tea brand, you might consider green tea extracts as an altenative or supplement. A recent analysis of green tea brands found however, that antioxidant levels of common teas have a great deal of variance. This was reported in an article from the American Association for the Advancment of Science: "Green tea shows antioxidant benefits in human plasma". Catechins, found in green tea, apparently increase the antioxidant capacity of human plasma, which could help reduce cardiovascular disease risk.
A recent Penn State study supports the view that the flavonoids in tea can reduce the risks for cardiovascular disease. Just to make the news better, the study also found that chocolate had similar health benefits as well. Green tea and green tea extracts have high antioxidant properties.
In addition to the normally brewed tea which is available in almost any neighborhood grocery store, green tea extract is a handy option for those who like to supplement their nutritional intake without having to find a place and time to actually brew a pot or cup of green tea.
GREEN TEA AND CHOLESTEROL
Studies have indicated that green tea and green tea extracts can help lower cholesterol levels.

Green Tea vs Black Tea - Which Is Better?

Which tea is better - green tea or black tea? As we all know, green tea is a very powerful weapon against several illnesses. But how about black tea? Do we also get health benefits from it?
Black tea does have several health benefits but they are not nearly as wide-ranging and powerful as those of green tea.
But what makes green tea more beneficial than black tea?
Catechins are, by the way, the one responsible for green tea's amazing health benefits. Catechins are green tea's main ingredient containing eight times more than black tea. The answer is "catechins"!
Bottom line is that the more catechins a tea has, the better it is for your general health.
Unfortunately, these catechins are mostly oxidized into theaflavins and thearubigens during the manufacture of black tea.
Theaflavins and thearubigens do have some of their own health benefits, but they can't compare with the wide-ranging effects of green tea's catechins, particularly the powerful EGCG.
While a cup of black tea contains about 5- 10 mg of the powerful catechin EGCG, a cup of green tea contains more than eight times than amount, or 40-90 mg.
Although green and black teas came from the same plant - Camellia Sinensis, what makes them different from each other in terms of taste and health benefits is the processing method.
This processing is so minimal that green tea can be consumed the same leaves are picked. When making green tea, processors lightly steam or gently heat the leaves to stop the oxidation process.
On the other hand, tea leaves designed to become black tea are allowed to oxidize and undergo considerably more processing, including a fermentation process that produces the dark-brown and even reddish color of black tea.
But the process used to make a black tea destroys compounds called polyphenols. It is the polyphenols that are responsible for the long list of health benefits of green tea.
Despite its stronger color and flavor, black tea cannot come close to green tea as far as health benefits are concerned.
Because green tea's processing is as little as possible, green tea retains its original polyphenols.
Rose Antonio has been a green tea drinker for many, many years. She has a special interest in alternative healing and natural remedies.
Though she has tried different types of tea from different countries, she always go back to Japanese Green Tea not only because of its taste but more so because of its amazing health benefits gathered from years and years of research and from talking to many health enthusiasts.

Green Tea; The Secret To Good Health

Green tea has been around for 1000s of years, and the Chinese have always known about the many health benefits of green tea. Now the rest world is catching up and jumping on the green tea bandwagon.
These powerful antioxidants are so potent that research is showing that they might even be able to cure cancer. Antioxidants, green tea is loaded with antioxidants that support your bodies immune system and helps eliminate harmful toxins from your body. What makes green tea so healthy?
In addition to being healthy green tea can also help you lose weight. Green tea has what is called a thermogenic effect on your body meaning that it makes your body burn more calories there by causing you to lose weight. In addition many people feel they get a natural energy boost, and also that they can think better when taking green tea.
The best way to buy green tea is in bulk loose leaf form, or if that's not available in your area you can substitute it with bagged tea, but keep in mind that bagged tea is typically lower in quality than loose tea. You can find green tea in many different flavors, but stay away from bottled tea because most of the time it's filled with sugar or artificial sweeteners. It doesn't give you that insulin crash that soda does, and it's not hard on your stomach like coffee. Promoting good health and weight loss are great, but perhaps the best part is that green tea tastes wonderful.
By simply replacing soda, coffee, or any other sugar filled beverages with green tea you'll be doing yourself a huge favor and you will notice a positive change within days.

13 Health Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea has been enjoyed by people in China and Japan for thousands of years. Over the time it has become widely known in the West.
I want you to have exactly the same feeling I have, so here are the benefits that you get while sipping delicious cup of tea. I not only enjoy the taste of it but I also get the moral satisfaction knowing that I am doing something right and extremely healthy for my body. And believe me after I've learned all the health benefits of green tea, I get completely different feeling every time I drink it.

A lot of people nowadays have heard that green tea benefits the overall health, but not a lot know why exactly.
Green tea contains anti-oxidants that:
1. Helps to prevent cancer.
The is some strong evidence that green tea included in you every day diet can reduce bladder, colon, esophageal, pancreas, rectum, and stomach cancer up to 60%. An antioxidant known as "epigallocatechin gallate" (EGCG for short) is at least 100 more times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E at protecting cells from harmful influence.
The amazing thing about it that EGCG it not only inhibits the growth of new cancer cells it also kills some of the existing cancer sells without harming the healthy ones.
2. Lowers "bad" cholesterol (known as LDL) and improves the ratio of "good" cholesterol (known as HDL). It explains why tea-drinkers can eat almost twice the foods containing cholesterol as those who don't drink green tea, but still have an equal cholesterol count.
It takes on added importance if you consider that thrombosis is one of the main causes of strokes and heart attacks. Stops the unnatural formation of blood cloth which if not taken care of will cause thrombosis. 3.
Reduces high blood pressure by repressing angiotensin II which causes constriction of the blood vessels causing high blood pressure. 4.
5. Lowers blood sugar (polyphenols and polysaccharides are the two main antioxidants are especially effective in lowering blood sugar). That helps prevent and relieve type-two diabetes.
6. Protects liver against toxins like alcohol and chemicals in cigarette smoke.
7. Promotes oral health by suppress the process of plaque formation and destroys the bacteria that forms plaque. It also destroys bacteria that causes bad breath, so after eating something sweet I suggest you drink a cup of green tea.
8. Destroys free radicals that cause aging.
9. Boosts your immune system function (because of its high concentration of polyphenols and flaveboids).
It also kills seven strains of food poisoning bacteria including clostridium, botulus and staphylococcus (which makes it a good treatment for diarrhea). Recent studies show that green tea inhibits the spread of disease, speeds up recovery from cold and flu. Possess antibacterial and antiviral properties.

10.
Helps your body to maintain healthy fluid balance and relieve fatigue and stress often caused by dehydration. 11.
12. Blocks main receptors that produce allergic reactions.
Stimulates metabolism, calorie burning process and is wildly being used as an important part of a healthy diet. 13.
Black tea during fermentation process loses most of its medical benefits. It is important to know that black tea, even though it comes from the same plant as a green tea, will not give you the same benefits.
It is better to let your tea steep for about 4-5 minutes before drinking it. All the decaffeinated, ready-to-drink bottled or instant teas will give you very little of natural health compounds. The best way to preserve all the disease-fighting nutritions is to drink your tea freshly brewed.
After all it is a rare case when something that good for our health can be also that delicious. I hope that after reading this article you will include a cup of green tea in your daily ratio.
Copyright 2005 Arina Nikitina
Visit: Arina Nikitina is the owner of the website GreenTeaSecrets.com, where you'll find a lot of free information about green tea, learn how green tea can benefit to your health and how it can help you lose weight.
http://www.greenteasecrets.com

Green Tea Diet For Weight Loss

I will keep only the Chinese people's green tea experience for later on in my article. That's why I will skip the past and go to present days. Green Tea has a long history, but I am sure everyone is aware of it, and is already bored to death reading about it.
What is Green Tea Diet?
You may take green tea as a drink, pill or weight loss patch. A Green Tea Diet is the regular intake of green tea.
Health benefits of Green Tea Diet
Although green tea has been used for more than 4000 years in China for treating a wide variety of ailments, I will list some recent medical and scientific researches into the health benefits of green tea diet in short:
+ anti aging effect
+ refreshing effect
+ lowers high cholesterol levels
+ lowers blood sugar level
+ promotes dental health
Clinical tests have shown that Green Tea:
+ prevents cancer by inhibiting the growth of new cancer cells and killing existing ones + lowers high blood pressure and prevents hypertension + lowers risk of atherosclerosis + protects the heart and prevents cardiovascular disease + thins blood and prevents thrombosis, which is one of the causes of heart attacks and stroke
Green Tea Diet also helps you:
+ protect against Alzheimer's disease + prevent rheumatoid arthritis + improve insulin sensitivity in Type 2 Diabetes + improve immune system defenses to fight against viruses (such as flu) + promotes dental health
What makes green tea diet so special?
Green tea extract is one of the best antioxidants. It's all about the great antioxidant effect of the green tea extract.
Those free radicals are result from metabolism and have bad oxidative effect that can seriously damage your body cells. The antioxidant effect of green tea extract is due to the green tea flavonoid polyphenols (also called bioflavonoids) that protect your body sells from the damaging free radicals.
The super antioxidant - Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG)
The polyphenols EGCG antioxidant is the most powerful compound of green tea extract. It is 100 times more potent antioxidant than Vitamin C and E.
EGCG also may prevent thrombosis, which is one of the causes of heart attacks and stroke. Clinical tests have shown that EGCG inhibits the growth of new cancer cells and kills some existing ones without damaging the normal cells.
Green Tea weight loss
To get rid of fat you either need to lower you food intake (follow a diet plan), or increase your energy expenditure (do exercising).
That makes Green Tea Diet a very smart choice for all people who hate strict dieting, or are tired of starving, or everyday exercising. The green tea weight loss effect is due to the EGCG antioxidant that increases energy expenditure and accelerates fat burning.
Green tea weight loss diet is a great way for everyone to lose weight easily and naturally, without any negative side effects.

Green Tea and The "Asian Paradox"

While it is almost certainly not a cure, however, many studies appear to show that lifelong green tea drinking does in fact reduce the risk of cancer in later life. Of all the controversial claims about green tea's health benefits, the one that draws the most scepticism is the claim that it could be a cure for cancer.
The biggest piece of evidence in support of this theory is known as the ‘Asian paradox'. The Asian paradox, according to researchers at Yale, is that Asia has very high levels of cigarette smoking, yet lower cancer rates than Europe or America. The researchers believe that the difference between the places lies in the Asians' consumption of large amounts of green tea (over a litre a day on average).
This is some of the most encouraging research yet, as methotrexate is a drug with many unpleasant side effects, and replacing it with green tea could work very well. Studies at Murcia University in Spain found that a chemical in green tea called EGCG is very similar to the cancer drug methotrexate, in that it appears to kill cancer cells in the same way. Other studies have supported this view: one study comparing elderly Japanese people who drank green tea with ones who didn't found that the green tea drinkers tended to live a few years longer.
Hopefully, over the next few decades, there will be more interest in investigating the health benefits of green tea, and we will finally get our answer. The state of the research overall is inconclusive, as few drug companies are interested in funding studies into something that is seen as ‘alternative' medicine, the testing is left to interested but under-funded universities. However, the unfortunate counterpoint to all this is that very large quantities of green tea have actually been found to cause cancer in lab rats, suggesting that too much green tea can be worse for you than none at all - perhaps a similar effect to the one red wine has.

Enjoy the Benefits of Green Tea with this Green Tea Smoothie Recipe

Studies have shown that green tea helps to build your immune system with its antioxidants, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, reduces the risk of getting various types of cancer and Alzheimers, and all the while it promotes oral health and increases metabolism.
Here's a simple, vitamin-filled smoothie recipe which allows you to add the health benefits of green tea to your daily diet. If you don't have time for breakfast, make it the evening before and take it along. Smoothies are nutritious, easy to make and provide a healthy meal-on-the-go. Smoothies are an easy way to enjoy the benefits of green tea, plus fruits for vitamins, antioxidents and fiber.
Begin with two cups of green tea, made with four tea bags so it's nice and strong.
Pour the green tea into a blender and add any or all of the following:
banana-source of potassium and fiber four ounces of yogurt, flavor of your choice-great source of probiotics a handful of nutritious blueberries or strawberries tablespoon of soy vanilla powder for protein a dash of cinnamon for your cholesterol and blood sugar
This smoothie is packed with antioxidants, protein, vitamins and minerals and makes a quick meal. If you'd like to add some fiber, throw in a couple of tablespoons of oatmeal.
Blend until all ingredients are smooth.
Other possible ingredients are: Don't limit yourself to these ingredients either.
orange juice-Great source of vitamin C mango, kiwi or other fruit or berries-source of vitamins and antioxidants a spoonful of honey peanut butter for protein
Let your imagination run wild!
Children love smoothies. It's a wonderful way to give them a healthy meal or snack and can replace sugar-packed sodas and fruit juice.
For more healthy recipes, weight loss tips and healthy living tips, to go
http://Path2HealthyLiving.com
.
© Copyright 2006 by Joan Jones
Joan Jones is an award winning freelance journalist who writes feature articles on home and garden, health and nutrition.

The Many Benefits of Green Tea Extract

The Benefits of Green Tea Extract: Anti-Aging, Anti-Cancer, Weight Control
Green tea: Here are just a few. One of the great advancements in nutrition in the twenty-first century is the scientific confirmation of the many benefits of green tea extract.
Lowers cholesterol
Slows arthritis
Prevents the growth of cancer cells
Assists weight loss
What accounts for the health benefits of green tea extract? Over 1,800 scientific studies have found that the active constituents in green tea are powerful antioxidants. These are called polyphenols (catechins) and flavonols. Epigallocatechin gallate (you can just call it EGCG) is the most powerful of these antioxidants.
Milligram for milligram, EGCG has 25 to 100 times the antioxidant power of vitamins C and E. A cup of green tea has more antioxidants than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries.


These abundant antioxidants power the benefits of green tea extract. They keep DNA intact and they stabilize the membranes of cells. These effects of green tea make it a powerful support in many health conditions. Let's look at the benefits of green tea supplements in more detail.


Green tea has been shown to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels.


Who would have imagined that simple green tea could be as potent as Lipitor or Zocor or Crestin with none of their side effects? Scientific studies show that middle-aged men and women in Japan who drink 2 or more cups of green tea a day almost always have normal cholesterol. Scientists have also recently reported that if you drink green tea after you eat a fatty food, less cholesterol will go into you bloodstream.


And if you have high cholesterol when you begin taking green tea supplements, your body will convert less of it into a form that clogs your arteries.


Green tea protects your joints against osteoarthritis.


This is one of the least known but most beneficial effects of green tea extract. Green tea prevents inflammation. When there is less inflammation, there is less wear and tear on your joints.


Green tea prevents the growth of cancer cells.


The EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells from growing by binding to a specific enzyme. This health benefit of green tea is especially important in cancers of the prostate, breast, and lung.


Researchers studied two groups of men who a pre-cancerous condition of the prostate. One consumed the equivalent of 12 to 15 cups of green tea a day. One did not. One year later, 30% of the men who did not consume green tea supplements developed prostate cancer. Only 3% of the men who took green tea supplements developed cancer.


Another of the benefits of green tea extract is support for women who have breast cancer. Green tea provides chemicals that bind estrogen. This hormone is not then free to stimulate breast cancer cells.


Women who consume the greatest amount of green tea before menopause have the least severe forms of breast cancer when the disease occurs. Women who drink green tea are less likely to have recurrences of breast cancer after treatment. And most important of all, women who consume green tea are 50% less likely to develop breast cancer at all.


Another of the benefits of green tea extract is protection against lung cancer.
The Japanese have both the highest rate of smoking and the lowest rate of lung cancer in the developed world. Japanese smokers who consume a lot of green tea seem to be protected against lung cancer.


And green tea can even help you lose weight. In a clinical trial, men eating a high-fat diet were given enough green tea provide the caffeine in a single cup of coffee. Although this amount of caffeine has no effect on weight loss, when the caffeine comes from green tea, it is highly significant.


The green tea supplement boosted the number of calories burned by 4.5%. While this is just 135 calories a day, the study showed that taking green supplements could help the average man on a high-fat diet lose 18 lbs (8 kg) in a year's time. It could help the average woman on a high-fat diet lose 11 pounds (5 kg). This is without eating less or exercising more.



How Can I Take Green Tea?



The benefits of green tea extract are greatest if you take green tea supplements rather than drink green tea. A study in the December 2004 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that green supplements get more antioxidants into your bloodstream that drinking green tea. Two capsules of green tea extract a day can provide all the benefits of 20 cups of green tea-all you need to support even difficult health conditions.


Green tea is safe and effective. Take 1 to 3 capsules of green extract every day. It is better to take green tea supplements in the morning or afternoon rather than at night. In the unlikely event of stomach upset, take with food.
Oktay Özadam has an avid interest in health and well-being and is a senior editor of
Nutritional Supplements Health Guide
The site discusses about vitamins, minerals, medicinal herbs, and other health supplements. .

Why Aren't You Using Green Tea Capsules?

Green tea capsules and tablets represent a simple, excellent, and effective way to get the benefits of green tea.
Although drinking green tea is very enjoyable and soothing to some people, many others don't like the bitter taste. Moreover, some people are realistic enough to know that the more trouble they have to go through to get the benefits of something, the less likely they are to do it.
Everyone now knows that drinking green tea is healthy just like they know that juicing vegetables and fruits is healthy too. But not many of us have the time to juice vegetables and fruits everyday, just like we don't have the time to brew green tea and sip it.
That's why green tea capsules are a fantasic way to get the health benefits of this ancient drink in the few seconds a day it takes to swallow them.
Moreover, if you are taking a quality green tea supplement, you could get more of its potent antioxidants than you could if you drank 4 to 5 cups of the tea a day because of its concentrated nature.
Green tea has a history as colorful as it is flavorful.
Legend has it that almost 5,000 years ago a Chinese emperor was sipping hot water whilst relaxing under a tea shrub when some of the leaves accidently blew off the shrub and landed in his cup.
He took a sip, liked what he tasted, and since then green tea became the health drink of choice in Asia, and is now spreading to the Western world rapidly.
What's really amazing is that it wasn't until recently that research has discovered just how incredibly powerful the health benefits of green tea are.
What Green Tea Contains
Green tea has many beneficial substances, like catechins, tannins, fluoride but, most important of all, powerful antioxidants called polyphenols.
One of these polyphenols in particular, which is referred to as EGCG, has been shown in studies to have potent anticancer properties. Indeed, EGCG is now thought to be one of the most powerful anticancer compounds discovered to date.
For the health savvy people who have heard about EGCG, it is the primary reason they drink green tea or use green tea capsules and supplements.
In one large study with chinese participants, it was discovered that the men and women who drank green tea had lower rates of: rectal, pancreatic, and colon cancer.
Other studies conducted here in the United States revealed that EGCG may be able to get cancer cells to stop reproducing.
Amazingly, it may accomplish this by somehow signalling the cancer cells to die, which in scientific terms is called apotosis.
Even more remarkable is that EGCG doesn't appear to hurt the healthy, non-cancerous cells of our body, so it seems to work selectively. This study was conducted at Case Western Reserve University, located in Ohio.
Other studies are now showing that green tea may be able to help mitigate the damage from LDL cholesterol -- otherwise known as the "bad cholesterol" that is a key marker in heart disease.
In fact, its possible role in lowering cholesterol is another of the biggest reasons people are now turning to green tea capsules and supplements.
Despite all of the potential health benefits of green tea, some people avoid drinking it because it does naturally contain caffeine, which makes some people jittery and nervous.
The good news is that green tea used in green tea capsules and tablets often contains much less caffeine than a cup of green tea itself. A cup of green tea contains about 40 mg of caffeine whereas a daily typical serving of green tea capsules might only contain 5 mg of caffeine.
Importantly, the typical serving of green tea capsules or supplements will have the same concentration of the polyphenols and powerful antioxidants as the green tea.
Even better for some people is that green tea can be decaffeinated and used in green tea capsules so that you can get all the benefits with none of the caffeine.
So there you have it. If you aren't already using green tea capsules for your health, it's time to give it some serious consideration as part of your supplement regimen.