The Western world is just now catching on to what the Asians have known for 4,000 years, that one cup of green tea has an abundance of health benefits. As a matter of fact, for centuries the Chinese people have been drinking green tea as treatment for everything from depression to headaches.
Today, both the Western world and the Eastern world are conducting studies to produce scientific evidence of the health benefits of green tea. One of the most notable of these studies was published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute In 1994, it discussed how the results of an epidemiological study showed that one of the health benefits of drinking green tea is that it can actually reduce the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese women and men by up to 60%.
Research shows that the heavy presence of a particular catechin polyphenol called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is an antioxidant, is the main reason why green tea has so many amazing health benefits. At the John Innes Center in England and at the University of Murcia in Spain, researchers have demonstrated that the EGCG in green tea binds cancer cells to an enzyme, which actually prevents them from growing. Thus, this powerful antioxidant can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, and can even destroy the cancer cells without harming the healthy cells.
Another notable study was taken by The University of Purdue, which has also done research on how a particular compound that is present in green tea can stop cancer cells from growing.
As if its cancer fighting properties werent enough, green tea has yet another great health benefit - its ability to lower cholesterol levels as well as to improve the ratio between good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). On top of inhibiting and fighting cancer cells, the antioxidant EGCG can also lower LDL cholesterol levels and stop blood from forming abnormal clots (thrombosis), which is a leading cause of strokes and heart attacks.
Compared to other Chinese teas like black tea and oolong, green tea has more health benefits. All of these different teas come from the tea plant Camellia sinensis, but green tea is different in the process by which it is made. Green tea owes much of its wonderful health benefits to how the leaves of the Camellia sinensis are steamed. The steaming process of green tea keeps the EGCG antioxidant from oxidizing. Oolong and black teas differ in that the leaves are fermented instead of being steamed, thus creating a less potent form of the EGCG.
Green tea not only offers medicinal benefits, though, it also has fitness benefits. Green tea has been shown to help a person burn more calories than normal. A study taken on green tea has shown that drinking it regularly can help dieters lose weight. In 1999, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study that showed that men who took both green tea and caffeine burned more calories than men who only took in caffeine or a placebo.
And it doesnt end there, green tea also has bacteria-destroying properties. Drinking green tea can actually help prevent tooth decay and may even prevent food poisoning because the substances found in green tea can kill the bacteria that cause food poisoning and those that cause the formation of dental plaque.
So raise a cup to your health! Now that we know of its countless medicinal and health benefits, Id say it wouldnt be a far stretch to say that green tea is nothing short of a miracle, and now Im off to get my daily fill!
Katya Coen provides information on green tea for Tea First - Your guide to the wonderful world of teas!
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