From preventing cancer to helping with weight loss, green tea seems to offer a huge amount of health benefits in one steaming cup.
Green tea has been a regular staple of cultures in China, Japan, and the Middle East for centuries. It’s only in recent years that the U.S. and other countries have begun drinking green tea and researching the health benefits that other countries have suspected for decades.
Green tea is made from the leaves of a plant called Camellia sinensis, a large shrub that grows freely throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. There are many different varieties of green tea, which can be quite different depending on growing conditions, processing methods, and the time of the year the tea is harvested. The tea is processed with minimal oxidation from unfermented leaves. In tea processing, highly fermented leaves contain a lower polyphenol content and more caffeine. Green tea, which is not fermented, has a high amount of polyphenols and is very low in caffeine.
The polyphenols in green tea-chemicals packed with antioxidants-are what pass along the health benefits. The polyphenols found in green tea are believed to be more potent than vitamin C, and they are responsible for green tea having a somewhat bitter flavor. Green tea also contains alkaloids such as theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline, which are responsible for its stimulant effects.
In recent years there have been many reports about the various health benefits to be realized by drinking green tea, based on anecdotal reports and historical accounts. But researchers are now beginning to study in earnest the benefits of green tea, and especially polyphenols, in preventing and combating disease in humans. Hundreds of researchers the world over have studied and published findings supporting evident that green tea may be responsible for numerous health benefits, some of which are described below. Scientists recommend that just 10 ounces a day is all you need.
Reduced cancer risk
In countries such as Japan, where the population consumes green tea on a regular basis, studies have shown that cancer rates are lower. Although research has not proven that green tea is specifically responsible for these lower rates, researchers think polyphenols can help kill cancer cells and stop the creation of new cells and blood vessels that supplement tumors. Numerous studies have shown that drinking green tea regularly reduces the risk of bladder, ovarian, breast, stomach, colon, lung, esophageal, skin, and colon cancer.
Heart-healthy benefits
Studies indicate that green tea can help prevent atherosclerosis, the plaque buildup in blood vessels that increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Polyphenols help keep blood vessels clear, which reduces blood pressure. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not allow teamakers to use labels claiming that green tea reduces the risk of heart disease, many research studies have proven that antioxidants—which green tea is packed with-help keep arteries clean and healthy. Research also shows that green tea lowers cholesterol.
Weight loss
Green tea may help speed up the body’s metabolism, helping to burn calories more quickly. One study showed that the caffeine in green tea, combined with the polyphenols and antioxidants, improved weight loss for overweight and moderately obest people. Some researchers believe that the catechins in green tea-substances in the polyphenols – are responsible for the fat-burning effects green tea seems to deliver.
Diabetes
Studies in animals and humans have shown that green tea may help prevent Type I diabetes and slow its progression after diagnosis. People with Type I diabetes do not produce enough insulin to convert the glucose and starches in their blood into energy needed. Green tea has been shown to help regulate glucose tolerance in the body.
Liver and bowel diseases
Green tea seems to protect the liver from damage by over consumption of alcoholic beverages and viral hepatitis. Green tea also helps reduce inflammation caused by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
There are numerous anecdotal reports of studies showing that green tea consumption can also help prevent or treat neruological ailments such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Nutritionists believe these reports may be due to the fact that the catechins in green tea increase the blood levels of norepinephrine, a chemical that speeds brain processes and may protect against memory loss. Green tea is even a good antiseptic for relieving itching and swelling. Just soak a cotton ball in it and apply the tea to blemishes, sunburns, scrapes, insect bites, scratches, or puffy eyelids.
With so many potential good effects and almost no potential harmful effects, what are you waiting for? Get those green teabags out, get the teapot started, and drink your way to good health!
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