What Are The Health Benefits Of Green Tea?
According to an ancient Chinese legend, a Chinese emperor
discovered tea when leaves from a wild tea bush fell into a pot of water he was boiling.
Green tea originates from China, and is also now cultivated in,
India, Ceylon and Japan. It has recently become popular in Western
countries where it has been more traditional to drink black
teas.
The health benefits of green tea have been extensively researched
with thousands of studies archived and new studies continuously
been undertaken.
Health benefits
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Weight Loss.
Green tea has thermogenic properties (a
thermogenic increases the metabolism of the body’s fat), and
promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine
content. In a recent study of 60 obese subjects, it was concluded
that green tea could reduce body weight by
increasing energy expenditure and fat oxidation. In another study
involving obese subjects, it was found that continuous ingestion of
a green tea extract led to a reduction in body fat and LDL
cholesterol. The three ingredients in green tea that
promote fat loss are catechins, caffeine and theanine that work by
inhibiting the enzymes that digest triglycerides, which play an
important role in metabolism as energy sources and transporters of
dietary fat.
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Diabetes.
Consumption of green tea has
been associated with a reduced risk for type 2
diabetes, and people who drink green tea regularly are
less likely to develop diabetes. The results of a study published
in the August 2004 issue of BMC Pharmacology, stated that green tea
promoted glucose metabolism in the healthy human
participants, providing evidence that green tea has an
anti-diabetic effect.
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Cancer.
EGCG is the catechin polyphenol in green tea that is thought to be
responsible for it’s anti-cancer properties. EGCG is a powerful
anti-oxidant, inhibiting the growth of cancer
cells, with the ability to kill cancer cells without harming
healthy tissue. EGCG accomplishes this by inhibiting the enzyme
dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which cancer cells need to be able
to grow, and which happens to be a target of anti-cancer drugs such
as Methotrexate. However evidence to date has been obtained only
from preliminary trials, and further studies are needed to
determine the ability of EGCG as an anticancer agent.
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Skin.
It has been suggested that a polyphenolic fraction from green tea
may prevent UV radiation-induced skin cancer. There is however
insufficient scientific research to back this theory up, and
further studies are needed. In a double blind trial of green tea
extracts in its role to treat aging skin, participants treated with
a combination regimen of topical and oral green tea showed
improvement in elastic tissue content.
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Tooth Decay.
Several studies have demonstrated the anti-bacterial
properties of green tea polyphenols are an effective agent
against tooth decay.
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Arthritis.
In vitro studies concluded
that green tea consumption might benefit arthritis sufferers by
reducing inflammation and slowing cartilage
breakdown. Further studies are required to confirm in
vitro results.
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Quality and brewing time are important to derive optimal health
benefits from green tea. Mediocre quality tea infused for less than
5 minutes will have polyphenol content 60 times less than a good
quality tea brewed for more than 5 minutes.
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