Health benefits of green tea

The benefits of green tea have been touted by Chinese and Asian cultures for centuries. Finally, the West is catching up and discovering the healing properties of this simple drink. In the past, it has been used to help with headaches, depression, malaise, and other disorders. The Chinese have used green tea as a medicine for at least 4,000 years.

Research is currently underway to find evidence for the health benefits associated with green tea. The evidence is staggering.

Research from Purdue University showed that there is a compound in green tea that inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

Research has shown that drinking green tea can be helpful for people with cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, infections, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and reduced immune function.

A publication in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 1994 showed that consuming green tea actually offered a 60% reduction in the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women.

Studies have shown that drinking green tea lowers cholesterol and improves “good” (HDL) cholesterol while lowering “bad” (LDL) cholesterol!

Green tea has certain properties that give it its healing capacity. It is very rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly EGCG. EGCG, epigallocatechin gallate, is a very powerful antioxidant. It inhibits the growth of cancer cells and can actually kill them, but it does not harm healthy tissue. It has also been shown to be quite effective in lowering LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol. It has also been shown to inhibit the abnormal formation of blood clots that are the leading cause of heart attack and stroke.

Right now, the only downside to green tea, its only negative side effect, is that it contains caffeine. This can lead to insomnia, especially if you are more sensitive to caffeine. The good news is that green tea contains less caffeine than coffee. There are also decaffeinated versions of green tea available. But if you drink the tea early in the day, before 4pm, you shouldn’t have a problem falling asleep. One concern with caffeine is that it can become addictive. So use your best judgment.

You may find it interesting that green tea can also help dieters. The University of Geneva conducted a study in which they gave men caffeine and green tea. These men burned more calories than men who only consumed caffeine or who received a placebo.

Black tea and green tea are not the same. While they all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the difference is how they are processed. Oolong and black teas come from fermented leaves. This causes EGCG to convert to other compounds. These compounds are not as effective in treating diseases. Green tea leaves, on the other hand, are steamed. This process prevents the EGCG from oxidizing. Therefore, green tea is richer in EGCG and is not corrupted in any way.

Glyconutrient supplements are another way to help your body get healthy antioxidants in the body. In fact, studies have shown that glyconutrients help the body create its own natural antioxidants.